


Moon Drop

by TNWanderer



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Angst, Crossdressing, F/M, KaZe is the main pairing, M/M, Pining, Waiters & Waitresses, it has a valid reason, no vampires here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:30:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNWanderer/pseuds/TNWanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In dire need of money to keep surviving in a harsh world, four fast friends Zero, Yuuki, Aido and Shiki apply to a restaurant as the serving staff. </p>
<p>Managed by the nut-case Cross, will The Imperial be a place for Zero where he will find love and happiness or misery and heartbreak in the form of a handsome and rich young man, named Kaname?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Have you gone completely nuts, Yuuki?"

Two young men's voice boomed with unison in the small kitchen of a house where five friends lived together. The said girl looked at the one scandalized, one infuriated face of the two young men who were helping her with the dinner.

"Why not, guys? What do we have left to lose after all?" Yuuki argued back, vigorously mixing the boiling rice in the pot which was barely enough for five young people.

"The owner of the restaurant offers great money... Real money! Much more than the four of us can earn collectively in a night even when we slave ourselves for it!"

One of the young men, Aido, huffed, continuing to stir the soup boiling at the stove, cheeks a bit red.

"It is easy for you to say, you are a girl! And if you have forgotten, let me remind you that the rest of us are boys!"

Yuuki grumbled, letting go of the small ladle in her worn hands to show them to Aido.

"Look, Aido, do they look like the hands of a girl any longer?"

Aido didn't even glance at her. He closed his turquoise eyes and sighed, defeated. "I know, Yuuki, I know..."

The young girl turned her attention to the other young male of the room, who chose to stay silent after his initial angry outburst.

"Zero..." She tried tentatively and saw the lean shoulders of the young man go stiff.

"Zero, please think about it, please..." She practically pleaded with him to listen to her. Zero was a hard nut to crack, stubborn in everything he did. But if she could crack his shell even a bit, she knew that the others would follow him.

Yuuki watched the silver haired boy peel tomatoes for the omelet he was going to prepare for the dinner. And from the corner of her eye, she could see that Aido, too, was discreetly watching the other boy's reaction whilst he tried to seem put out and offended by Yuuki's offer.

"Zero, nobody will recognize who we are there, I promise... We can give you aliases, we can take extra care in you guy's make ups..." But her words were cut of as Zero turned around and spoke agitatedly.

"Yuuki, that restaurant wants girls... Girls... Understand? How could you expect us to go there and apply, dammit? Do I look like I am hiding... hiding boobs somewhere around here?" Zero asked incredulously, pointing at his lean chest, his pale cheeks coloring slightly because of the words Yuuki was forcing him to use.

"But we will wear kimonos, no one can see how flat or big is the bust of a person with them!" Yuuki answered heatedly.

"Yuuki, I think what you don't want to understand is that  _we_  are boys... Who think and act like boys... How can you expect a normal man to act like a woman just for the sake of money?"

Yuuki's thin eyebrows met in the middle with anger and scorn and she sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, Yuuki... If you want, you can go and apply to the restaurant by all means... Your share in the house expanses won't change and nobody will expect you to put in more money. We are fine as the way we are." Zero knew that he was being harsh and unfair, but right now he was really not in his element and very much worried because of their, or to put it more accurately, his and his twin's current predicament.

That made both Yuuki's and Aido's eyes go round. Zero was generally brash and nearly always seemed callous, but they both knew that he was indeed a very kind soul and tried his best to hide that vulnerable side of himself under that harsh mask. Zero was afraid of being exploited because of his heart's softness, and his friends respected it. But Yuuki had enough. She stepped up to the tall male and punched him in the chest, as if she wanted to hammer down some sense into the level headed young man, her anger flaming in her eyes.

"Fine? You are fine the way you are?" She asked. "We aren't fine, Zero! We haven't been fine since we have left the orphanage! How many months have passed? Six? Tell me which one of us could go to the college that we have worked so hard to enter to! And how in the seven hells do you think we will pay this month's rent?"

Zero watched her with pained lilac eyes as she continuously hit his chest with her small fist. The pain he felt was not inflicted by her hand but by her words, by the reality of their situation that her questions tried to remind him as if he could ever forget it.

"I will do something about it." He whispered, not even able to fool a soul there.

Yuuki's eyes were shiny with a sheen of tears and she lost even her will to punch him.

"You say things as if I am afraid to share my money if I go there and earn more than you guys do... When have we ever done that, Zero? How could you think that I would scrimp you for money when Ichiru is in that condition? Are you that kind of a jerk who thinks of his  _manly pride_  before the wellbeing of his loved ones?"

It was Zero's time to stand with widened eyes mutely. Ichiru... His twin brother's condition... Yuuki and Aido watched him in stricken expressions. Yuuki was aware that it was cruel of her to mention the condition of Ichiru in a situation like this; but she also was hurting inside for him, for being unable to help the frail, sickly boy as her heart desired but her circumstances denied.

"Hey, guys..." Aido tried to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere in the kitchen. "Let's don't make the dinner turn sour than it already is..."

Zero gazed at the two through his silver bangs. Apparently, he deemed that further argument was unnecessary, so he turned to his task as if he hadn't heard a word from Yuuki.

Yuuki's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Fine, Zero... Do as you please... I will go and persuade Shiki. I am sure that he will come with me since he is not a stuck up macho klutz like the two of you."

And she left the kitchen to do as she declared but not before adding an extra bit to nag Zero further.

"The last day for application is tomorrow and the two things the owner of the place is looking for are beauty and experience in serving... Not a big feat for us who have been groveling around the cheap bars and cafés for tomorrow's bread."

And she soundly shut the door of the small kitchen, leaving the two young men to their thoughts.

Aido narrowed down his bright eyes at the door accusingly. Yuuki had been harsh and Zero had been impossible again. But this was no life to drag around... The five of them, Zero, Ichiru, Shiki, Yuuki and himself had been fast friends since their days in the orphanage. Some of them didn't even have either of their parents, some of them had one and some of them had the both but never knew them. Theirs was a tough life. It became especially harder when they had to leave the orphanage, because this year all of them were eighteen and it was the orphanage's policy to not to keep the kids any longer when they came of age.

Thus, this summer they had found themselves with a little money in their pockets, with trivial jobs to sustain their basic needs and a mediocre house rented through the help of the orphanage management... Simply put, they were left to their own devices to suffer in a big and harsh world all alone.

By a few months, Zero was the eldest of the group, followed by his twin Ichiru, Aido, Shiki and Yuuki. Being the youngest and the sole female of the group, Yuuki always tried to show that she was also capable of help and was determined to share the burden of living in a house which Zero inadvertently tried to keep together and safe.

They all had sacrificed their college education, because this year they couldn't find the money for paying the tuition fees which were provided by the orphanage last year when they were freshmen. But this year's priority was to set themselves a life which was devoid of the fear of being unable to pay their basic expenses, and saving enough money to pick up their education where they had left it.

Yet, now, that seemed an impossible dream day by day.

And moreover, Zero's initial concern was not getting a diploma but was saving up enough money to keep the medical treatment of his twin going which was highly expensive. Zero was a very proud individual and everyone was aware that it hurt him to accept money from them when they were also striving to make the ends meet and save a bit for future.

Aido sighed, agitated, watching the troubled form of his silver haired friend from the corner of his eye. He pouted silently to himself and squared his shoulders to try again from where Yuuki had left.

"Zero... Maybe you could try applying to the kitchen staff... What do you say?"

Zero shrugged, expertly mixing the eggs in a bowl. "Yuuki told me that the fee is nearly the same as the place I am currently working in... And the restaurant she mentioned is further down the town than my current place is. At least here, the subway tickets remain in my pocket."

Zero saw no reason to change his work place if he was going to do the same job for the same fee. Even though he had been studying cookery and world cuisine before he had had to suspend his education, no place he had ever applied agreed to trust him even with the duty of a scullion where he could learn from watching the chefs. Discouraging, really. And day by day, Zero was realizing and accepting the fact that he could never be a good chef in a well known restaurant.

Every place he had gone had asked him of a diploma or a degree. But he didn't have them, heck, he didn't even have recommendation letters. So, after spending some time in looking for a place which could accept him as their cook and finding none, he had simply relented to his fate and circumstances and worked as a waiter and bartender in several places, doing two shifts, sacrificing his sleep as he tried to forget about his worries in hard work.

"Zero..." Aido tried again, watching Zero fry the chopped tomatoes and mush them in the pan before he added the eggs. "Zero, I will try my chance." Aido added, biting his lower lip, expecting to meet scornful and judging eyes. But he was proven wrong when Zero simply nodded his head and went about adding the green onions to the omelet and watched the sizzling pan distractedly.

"It is not as if the owner of the place will accept us at first glance, Zero." Aido tried to defend his decision weakly, passing Zero the salt and pepper. Zero added them into his pan with deft fingers and finally when he turned off the stove he turned and met the hesitant, doubtful gaze of his friend.

"You guys are not tied to me and my brother, Aido. Of course you can try your luck. I am fine."

This time, Zero tried to be reasonable and not hurt his friend's feelings, but when he saw how Aido's shoulders hunched, he felt strangely guilty for some reason.

"Let's leave that matter aside and set the table." He tried to close the subject. But it didn't deter Aido from thinking wistfully.  _But we all have promised each other, Zero..._

The dinner was eaten in a somewhat sour atmosphere. Zero and Yuuki didn't even glance at each other, Aido tried to escape from the inquiring eyes of Ichiru and Shiki. The two clueless occupants of the table managed to carry on a silent conversation, obviously affected by Yuuki's put out face and Zero's grouchy apathy.

When Zero left the table to make it in time to arrive his bar tending shift, he spoke for the first time, yet again acting like the mother hen of the house.

"Ichiru, don't stay up late in front of the computer... Aido, lock the door and close the windows before bed. Shiki, don't forget to put the left overs into the fridge..." The young man wore his light blue coat and put on his shoes as he seemed to be thinking if there was anything more left to remind them of before he left.

"Take your scarf, Zero!" Came Yuuki's voice from the living room area. "Even the tough macho guys might catch cold!"

Zero narrowed down his eyes at the general direction of the room that Yuuki's voice came from, but he chose to not banter with her since she seemed to be desperately trying to get a rise out of him. He didn't take the bait and silently left the house but not before taking his scarf, not because he felt cold but because he knew that Yuuki would check the portmanteau after he left and if she saw the gray woolen scarf hanging there, she would get upset with him further.

When the sound of the closed door was heard, Yuuki left the table, too and true to Zero's guess, she went and checked if the scarf she knitted for Zero was still there or not. The slight smile that appeared on her face, when she saw that Zero had taken the thing, vanished quickly when she remembered their earlier banter. She returned to the living room with hunched shoulders.

Ichiru, who was playing with his omelet thoughtfully, quickly realized the way how suddenly Yuuki seemed much more tired than before and the strange tight atmosphere dissipated with his brother's departure.

"So, won't you guys tell us what is happening in this house?" He demanded with a gentle voice.

Aido closed his eyes and stopped eating, Yuuki simply dropped back onto her chair as if she wanted to disappear under the table, and Shiki shrugged, waiting for an answer, too.

"Well, there is this huge employment Ad on the papers, Ichiru... Of a new restaurant's that will open soon." Yuuki started talking wearily as if she was explaining the same thing for the umpteenth time.

"You mean that new upscale place which will open under the The Imperial Hotel?" Shiki asked in his usual bored drawl.

"Yeah, that one. It recruits kitchen staff and service staff." Yuuki added and leaned her elbows on the table. "I was asking Zero...Well, trying to persuade him to apply there." She waved her hand with a spike of anger, "But he is being his usual  _utterly charming_  self as you can guess..." She huffed, pouting.

Ichiru smiled softly at Yuuki's antics and raised an eyebrow. "If Zero-nii rejects an idea, there must be a catch to it... What is it, Yuuki?"

Yuuki glanced back at Aido in uncertainty who was also dreading of the same question. Aido tried to send a warning glare at her but when he saw her pleading look, he raised both hands in surrender and dropped the bomb.

"Well, the restaurant is looking for beautiful girls to use them as the service staff."

There was a sudden silence in the room, during which even the tick tacks of the wall clock could be heard. And then came Ichiru's laughter. "Are you nuts, Yuuki?" The young man asked, silver eyes dancing with mirth and pale face going a bit red. Even Shiki seemed amused and smirked lazily, shaking his head.

Yuuki's big doe eyes turned into slits in mock anger. "Well, your precious Nii-san asked me the same thing... Why don't you guys for once just listen to what I have to say and then laugh your asses off?"

"Now, now Yuuki, how unlady like..." And Ichiru continued to smile some more, bu when he realized that Yuuki was waiting patiently for him to ask more, he stopped.

"Tell us about this place..." He conceded just to please Yuuki.

As if a lamp was turned on, Yuuki's anger flew away and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Listen, this place will be one of those splendiferous places where pompous rich people come and dine... They say, there will be a traditional setting, complete with a garden and a koi pond in the middle of it... I also heard that there will be live traditional music and some dance shows, too... But what is different about this place is, there will be Western style sitting arrangements but also traditional style private partitions where the service staff personally assist the diners throughout their meals..."

Ichiru listened to the girl's enthusiastic explanation closely, getting interested by the minute.

"So a traditional setting, service staff personally assisting the diners... Beautiful girls, you say..."

"Yes!" Yuuki quipped, leaning on the table with more energy now.

"Do we think of the same thing, gentlemen?" Aido asked with an air of superiority, arms crossed.

"They are trying to add a geisha flavor..." The three boys uttered at the same time.

"But the money and the tips are fantastic! And how can anyone tell whether you dopes are guys or girls in that traditional make up and costumes?" Yuuki argued back, eyes big like saucers.

"So they offer a good money, huh?" Ichiru's mirth disappeared. "How much?"

"For a night, it is more than Zero's weekly salary that he gets from his two shifts collectively, and I am not even counting the tips..." Yuuki answered proudly, watching the thoughtful faces of his companions. Zero was the one who earned the most and when Ichiru thought about it, the offered money was a really good sum.

"Ne, say, Yuuki... The kitchen staff..."

Before he could finish his question, Aido answered. "It is the same weekly salary Zero earns in a week... Nothing more, nothing less... I guess they are only looking for extra hands in the simple tasks... Such a posh place wouldn't hire a newbie even for boiling eggs..."

"And what does Zero think?" Ichiru asked, biting his lower lip.

"Is there a use in changing places when you earn the same for the same old washing and cleaning you do?" Shiki sighed. "And this place is far from here... Zero wouldn't want to pay for the transportation when he could do the same job a few blocks down here."

Shiki was right. It was no use. For a moment, Ichiru thought that he really liked the chances the new place offered. But, just for the sake of money, it was unjust to expect Zero to even apply to a place where he could be ridiculed and deprecated. Ichiru was working at home as a translator, taking works through some web sites. He was certainly of help as much as his sickly body and frail heart permitted. And even though he would die to be side by side with his brother, sharing the hardships of doing manual work, he was forbidden from tiring his heart and worsening his condition.

He could guess how Zero had to be feeling now and for causing it, he hated himself.

Ichiru glanced at the table, at the left overs of the meager offerings of tonight. Yes, the rice was good, because Zero was the one who balanced the amount of water and boiling temperature of it. The soup was great, because Zero was the one who thoughtfully saved aside the ingredients for it... And omelet was deliciously fluffy... Because Zero was the one who cooked it for him... Zero could turn a plain and hopeless thing into a miracle and Ichiru could tell that he was trying to create a miracle for them, too, with this simple life that the fates tossed before them, as if it was the left overs of a lucky but still a pricky jerk... This was unfair. Everything was unfair. And Ichiru was feeling as if he was the one who deterred his brother from reaching his dreams and being happy.

Suddenly feeling a pain in his chest, Ichiru grimaced and tried to will the disturbing feeling away. But Yuuki, ever watchful of his condition, hastily poured him a glass of water and gave him his medicine. Ichiru looked at the pills in his shaking hand distractedly. Zero's life was reduced to the tormenting effort of providing him with these every month... To prevent the inevitable. And they were trying to live as if his illness was not there, as if Zero was not sacrificing himself to ease these pains even for a second. Ichiru closed his eyes, feeling his pain worsen with the agitation that his thoughts caused.

"What are you doing, Ichiru?"

"Swallow them, quick!" Came his friends' voices and Ichiru forced himself to gulp down the small pills, feeling as if he was greedily gulping down the hard work of his brother into nothingness. Breathing deeply a few times, he calmed himself and his treacherous heart, nodding silently at his friends' questions asking him if he was feeling alright.

"I am going to work a bit more..." He murmured, leaving the table. "And if Zero-nii doesn't like something, we couldn't force him to go with it. He is already doing more than he should do."

Yuuki watched him leave with a sullen expression on her face, her cheeks a little bit pink with the remorse she felt.

"Guess I have a steak for breaking the twins' hearts..." She mumbled.

Aido's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "So, you have finally realized..."

* * *

 

Yuuki huffed in annoyance. "Oh, shut up, you!"

The next day, before going to his shift, Zero headed to the doctor who took care of Ichiru since their days at the orphanage. Quickly finding his way in the hospital, Zero found the doctor busy with another patient and he waited for his turn.

The kind doctor was in his late fifties and he was painfully aware of the situation that Zero and Ichiru was in, knowing them since their childhood. Ichiru had a weak heart which kept beating thanks to the constant medicine he took every day. Convincing a small kid by saying that what he took were pieces of candy rather than sour tasting pills that that kept his heart going was an easy task at first... But Ichiru was past from that stage and was cruelly aware of his worsening condition. Ichiru needed a heart plantation or the constant care that he could get from a hospital. Yet, Zero was unable to provide him with any of it. Twice in the past, they had found the suitable heart for the younger twin, but because it was such an expensive operation, the orphanage didn't even bother to inform the twins about it.

The doctor, Shindou-san, chose to not tell the boys about this, because he knew that Zero would be crushed had he known that he could save his brother but was lacking the necessary money for it. So, Shindou never mentioned the possibility of finding a suitable donated heart before Ichiru, but told Zero that if they could do it, Ichiru would live for long years as a healthy young man. How much more cruel could the world become?

When he accepted Zero, he had bad news for him, even though he hated to pass them to the already troubled boy. Zero listened to him attentively, his pale face going even paler when he heard that the government aid that they took for buying the medicines was about to be cut down. Since they were orphans, Ichiru was provided with the half of his medical expenses, but that money was to be cut in half now when Zero could hardly earn the other half of it from the jobs he was slaving himself at.

His amethyst eyes shimmered with despair, but he refused to capitulate to his emotions. Crying or cursing the fates wouldn't give him money in return.

"Your brother is already at the stage where he needs regular medical care in a hospital, Zero-kun..." Shindou told him. "Since we can't provide him with that, you must at least continue to provide him with his medicine, or I don't even want to think what would happen to him..."

Zero's head hung, his shoulders tense with the strong emotions he felt.

"I understand, Sensei..." He murmured. "I will do my best."

Shindou watched the young man leave his office with a heavy heart. If only there was a kind soul out there who would be willing to cover the expenses of an ill boy to lessen the burden of an honest but poor brother...

* * *

 

Whole day, Zero tried to swallow down the lump in his throat but it was in vain. He didn't even eat his lunch, unable to find the appetite even though he felt the effects of working on an empty stomach. His hands were trembling and he felt light headed, but he was barely aware of it, a simple but unanswered question was eating up his mind.

_What am I going to do now?_

Not that the life was any easier to him and Ichiru before, but this was too much... He had never felt this much helpless and alone before. His amethyst eyes were tearing up every time his mind came up with an image of Ichiru on bed, reminding him of what would eventually happen to his brother if he wasn't able to figure a way out of this.

_What am I going to do now?_

Just as his mind was full of that torturous image, the glass of soda he was placing on a table slipped from his shaky fingers and the bubbly drink spilled every where, barely avoiding the patrons' shirts and pants.

Apologizing profusely for the scene his messed up emotions caused, he saw one of the patrons quickly dabbing on the spilled drink with the newspaper he was reading. Zero's eyes widened. On that particular page of the newspaper was that Ad that Yuuki had been nagging him about yesterday. He remembered the offered salary, his mind quickly comparing it with the amount of money that he needed to cover up Ichiru's medical expenses... And in lightning speed, he realized that it would be even an enough sum for Ichiru to get the occasional hospital treatments.

Zero cleaned the table in a flash, skillfully avoiding any argument with the patrons and checked his wrist watch. This was the last day of the applications and he still had two hours.

It was either now or never and Zero cast aside his pride and made his decision. He was going to get this job. He had to get this job...No matter what... For Ichiru's sake...

* * *

 

In an hour's time, he was before the ominously tall and bright hotel doors, telling the footmen that he was there for the job application. He hoped that it would be worth the risk being of getting fired from his waiter job, since he had left whilst his boss was looking sour and discontent with him.

The Imperial was one of the most prestigious hotels of the city. It reigned over the busiest part of the downtown with its five-star glory, standing tall among other posh looking, high class places, beckoning rich people of all kinds. Zero hated this kind of places, but he was damn determined to take a bite from it.

He was led to the lobby at the end of which a small office was suited and saw the surprise of that evening seated boredly before the office door.

There, on the waiting chairs of the lobby, Yuuki, Aido and Shiki were waiting with tired looking, disheartened faces, as if they had been there for a long time. Yuuki was mumbling something about stubborn block headed people with overly masculine issues and Aido was dully nodding his head as if he was really listening to her tantrums. Shiki was eying his watch and gnawing on a pocky, watching his two friends, looking as if he was bored out of his skull.

Zero allowed himself a small smile when he realized that they were waiting for him. It was a given that Yuuki wanted this job, but not without Zero being with them. He approached silently and mustered his best glare before he spoke.

"Oi, slow ducklings, can't you do something on your own without waiting for your mommy duck?"

The trio turned their faces to him and as if he was the most wonderful thing ever happened that day, their faces lit up with a new found enthusiasm.

"Zero, you came!" Yuuki chirped, clapping her hands.

The other boys stood up and approached him while Yuuki playfully tried to make Zero look more presentable and handsome as if he needed it.

"Aren't we going into the office, we didn't miss the deadline, did we?" Zero asked, trying to stop the petite girl from attacking him further.

"We thought you wouldn't come, Zero..." Shiki said.

"Yeah, we waited for you the whole afternoon, dummy!" Yuuki pouted.

"What is the reason for the change of heart?" Aido asked, but Zero shrugged.

"Let's just get in guys... We'll talk later."

The group knocked the door and a merry voice told from inside to enter. When they got into the office, the person they saw certainly didn't look like an aspiring businessman. A man, probably in his early thirties, was sitting behind his desk with cozy looking, casual clothes. The man had ash blond hair and glasses on. Certainly he was not the picture of a serious manager.

"New applicants? I thought there was none left..." He commented with a friendly voice but when his eyes landed on the boys, his face fell.

"The kitchen staff is not elected by me, young men." He added even though his eyes were sweeping over the figures of the boys in a critical manner.

"We all are here for the service staff recruitment." Zero stated firmly.

The man gazed at Zero with a frozen expression, Zero gazed at the man with a determined look.

"Um... Young man... We are looking for girls... Not boys..."

Zero felt himself blush a bit but he didn't relent.

"We all are experienced in servicing, have been working here and there for nearly six months now." Zero pointed at himself and Yuuki, "Two of us are studying culinary culture at the college," He pointed at Aido "One of us is studying food engineering," And his finger landed on Shiki. "And he is studying business administration."

"And?" the odd looking man asked Zero with widened eyes.

Zero glared at the man full force and looked at the faces of his companions.

"And we are all good looking." He declared with and air of certainty, making the trio beside him gasp and and look at him with open mouthed shock. Zero did certainly seemed enthusiastic for this job...

The man got up from his seat and approached them. He inspected each and every of them with a funny looking curiosity on his face.

"Surely..." He mumbled as he gazed at them with scrutiny.

"Surely you young people look good..." He stood before Zero, clearly admiring his silver hair and lilac eyes.

"Are they natural?" He asked with a childish curiosity.

"Of course they are!" Zero had the very bad feeling that they were being ridiculed and he didn't dare to look at the faces of his friends. What kind of a job interview was this? He feared that the man was going to demand to see them half naked, suddenly his mind procuring deprecating images.

The man was inspecting their eyes, their faces and hair so closely that it was freaking him and his friends out. Yuuki squealed in surprise when the odd man apparently tried to touch her face and Zero quickly pulled her back towards himself.

"Now... don't tell me that you are going to ask us to get naked for further inspection, old man!" Zero practically snarled at the blond man, making him back a little with wide eyes. Just as the group expected to be hurled out of the door for insulting him, he burst into a laughter.

He laughed so much that his eyes watered and he barely kept himself from doubling over. Zero watched with angry eyes, thinking that coming here was the greatest mistake he had ever done. The man, without even looking at a mirror, was mocking them apparently.

Zero turned around and indicated that he was leaving, his friends' faces in various hues of red.

"Young man, wait, young man..." The man coughed a little to suppress his mirth, clutching at his sides. Zero stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Was it not enough entertainment for you?" He asked with rancor.

The man blinked away his tears and stopped laughing.

"Excuse me..." He amended. "What was your name?"

"Kiryuu Zero."

The odd man stood tall and introduced himself. "I am Cross Kaien, I am one of the two share holders of the restaurant. And you are the first person who asked me if I wanted to see my applicants naked." He smiled serenely. "You sure are an interesting boy."

"Yeah, whatever..." Zero waved his hand and turned back again.

"And you young people are the first boys who wanted to be recruited as the service staff..." Kaien added quickly. "And I certainly took interest in you and your friends..."

Zero stopped again, trying to suppress his ire and listen to what the eccentric man had to say.

"And this is the most interesting job interview I have ever seen... Cross-san..." Zero added with sarcasm. So, the owner of this new posh restaurant was this freak? God clearly lacked a sense of humor.

Kaien adjusted his glasses eying the young group with a devious glint in his eyes.

"Boys acting like kimono clad ladies..." He smirked, eyes still scanning the bodies of the young men.

"I liked you lot... Your bravery..." He commented and made the group look at each other's faces in surprise.

"Zero-kun... Could you verify the things you claimed earlier? About your education..."

"Yes, we could get those documents..." Zero quipped with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I have chosen 60 people all together and I will eliminate 20 of them after a test done with costumes... Do you feel up to it?" Kaien asked with a mild challenge in his eyes.

Zero looked at him skeptically. "You mean a servicing test done in kimonos?"

"Yes... The kimonos will be provided by us and the test will be done here, in the old restaurant up floor, tomorrow..."

Zero turned towards his friends and saw the glimmer of confidence in their eyes, even though Aido looked somewhat embarrassed and Shiki looked as apathetic as usual. It was clear that they were up to the challenge even though they hid their feelings well.

"Alright, Cross-san. Please write down our names." Zero nodded his head stiffly.

Kaien wrote down the names, easily memorizing them and put small indications before the scribbled letters. He wondered what drove these youngsters to become this willing to put such a task upon themselves, but he was always in for a bit of fun and admittedly all three boys were overly handsome and he was looking forward to see them walk prettily in their kimonos. They were lean and had delicate features, and Kaien saw no reason to pass such an opportunity to test their skills and see how far could they go for a job like this.

He already thought that the girl, Yuuki and the boys were good candidates, so what was left was to see if they could prove themselves good enough for The Imperial.

_TBC..._

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kuran Kaname, the popular bachelor of the jet society of the city, was currently trying to decline the offer of a fellow businessman who  _innocently_ tried to trick the young man into meeting his daughter. Kaname was smiling his ever polite smile, his garnet eyes luminous under the lights of the garden where the soriee that he forced himself to endure was taking place. He hated to be in gatherings like this, but it was a must in his line of work if he wanted to maintain and build fruitful partnerships.

Being this young and owning this much clout in the business arena had its advantages as well as this unwanted attention that being a handsome and rich businessman brought along. Yes, Kaname was smiling serenely, but to the people who knew him well, it was a glaringly forced smile. Wherever he went, he was quickly becoming the magnet of all attention and admiring glances. And Kaname was not very happy with it. He knew that some of his so-called admirers were looking at him with envy, some of them with belittling gleams in their eyes , and some of them with greed.

He could understand the envy, because he had become the sole heir of a really handsome fortune when his parents died and left him as an orphan. People had to be thinking that he got it all so very easily.

He was also aware and cautious of the belittling gleams, too. It was no wonder for him to see people who thought that he was still a self-complacent brat, an easy target to fool and siphon his money behind his back. He could be deceptively young, but Kaname was certainly not a fool, nor a fledgling in things concerning work related associations and understanding someone's intentions with just a glance. Some of his rivals had learned this well and let him be, tails between their legs and with a bad taste in their mouths. Kaname was a fierce adversary when need arose to fend off delusional old vultures who thought that they could easily get a bite from him. Apparently, in this soiree, there were still some of those old foxes around who had yet to experience how they could be sorely mistaken.

There were also the greedy ones, of course, the ones who were making Kaname's life a living hell. He especially hated it when people around him tried to set him up with their daughters, nieces, and sisters just for the sake of exploiting his wealth and social status. Somebody else would certainly had been much more direct and impolite against these kind of deceivingly modest looking attempts of match making, but Kaname was not raised like that and he didn't find it as a gentlemanly thing to upset the fathers, uncles and brothers of some high society girls waiting for his affections in baseless hope. He turned them down politely, but firmly.

Thus, he was famed as the chronic bachelor whom everyone tried to get closer but turned back empty handed.

Well, he was happy the way he was. Getting to know and trusting someone really did require a great deal of time and energy and Kaname didn't plan to feel up to it any time soon. He was yet to know that he hadn't met the suitable one to pour those efforts on.

The elderly man was still asking him questions about if he was already seeing someone and if he was thus inconveniencing Kaname with his questions. Kaname suppressed a grimace from breaking his perfect mask and didn't even answer. He was discreetly looking around for his friends, Takuma and Kain. When he met the amused green eyes of his friend Takuma, he smiled slightly but in such a way that only Takuma or Kain could interpret as  _"Save me from this!"_. Takuma quickly nodded and excused himself from his company and approached Kaname, beaming at him and telling the other man that he needed to talk something private with his brunette friend, thus saving Kaname from his torment effectively.

They walked to a much more secluded and less crowded side of the garden where Kain was sipping a drink and languidly flirting with a pretty girl. The two young men passed by their friend, Kaname slightly shaking his head at his friend's antics and Takuma giving him a ' _so you are at it again_ ' kind of smile. All they got was a lazy smirk from Kain as he refocused his attention to the pretty female before him.

"Thanks for helping me out there." Kaname murmured distractedly, his eyes suddenly reflecting how tired and bored he was. Takuma shrugged, he was used to the job of fending off the nuisances that gave Kaname a headache.

"What was he asking you of?" Takuma queried even though he very well knew the answer. Together, they approached the refreshments tables and busied themselves with the small snacks and drinks there.

"Nothing much different." Kaname sighed and tasted one of the skewered delicacies that he had taken in his plate. His face immediately turned a bit sour and he tried to wash down the taste with his wine. Takuma, who was also contemplating on selecting the same refreshment, withdrew his hand upon seeing the distaste spread on his friend and smiled in a compassionate manner. "Would you wish it would have been this easy to wash down the bad taste of their discreet attempts to get you settle down, Kaname?"

Kaname eyed the innocent piece of delicacy with scorn and smiled ruefully. "You bet, Takuma. You bet..."

"Actually, it is not that bad, Kaname." Takuma gazed around as if he hadn't been expecting any different from a mere, boring soiree. "I think you are becoming quite the authority here when it comes to shoo away the overly enthusiastic fathers and brothers." He quipped in a knowing grin.

One of Kaname's delicate eye brows rose with amusement. "I see you are having fun at my expense, Takuma." Takuma raised his hands in mock surrender and smiled, making Kaname shake his head in mild disapproval. But Kaname's smile quickly dissipated and his face turned serious again.

"I hate it when they approach me with only the money and power in their minds. It is as if they see me and the possibility of me marrying their daughters or sisters as a means to climb up higher than they already are." He commented dryly.

Takuma's mirth also disappeared from his green eyes, contemplation replacing his smile. "But at least there isn't anyone around you who would eventually force you into marrying one of those powerful businessmen's or politicians' relatives just for the sake of gaining much more influence and prestige in the end. Unlike me..."

Kaname gazed at his old friend with slight agitation. Takuma was raised by his grandfather after his parents' untimely death and his grandfather was a practical man who would do anything to hold more clout in his hands. Kaname knew the man well, despite the fact that he would be better off without that knowledge, since he would spend a lot of his time together with Takuma even before his own parents died. Takuma's grandfather, known as Ichiou, was a power hungry man who was famed as one of the most vicious entrepreneurs of the whole country. And Kaname was aware that he was simply planning to use his grandson to achieve his objectives one by one.

"Takuma..." Kaname laid his hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed it assuringly. "In the future, whatever course you'll decide to take with your own life, I am here to support you." He stated concretely.

"Because I despise it when people can't tell apart greed from ambition."

Takuma gazed at Kaname absently, eyes widening imperceptibly upon the sincere look he found in his friend's eyes. Eventually, he nodded and smiled slightly, as if thanking Kaname without words.

Relieved by the replenished trust and ease he found in his blond friend's face, Kaname's expression turned delighted softly, too. With an unconscious effort to close the unpleasant subject, he reached for the small, grilled cheese and tofu snacks and tasted them, finding the taste a little better than the skewered refreshments.

"The weather is too cool for a garden party, the attendants are boring people and the food is awful." Kaname whispered with a derisive smile. Takuma chuckled.

"Not everyone can be up to your standards, Kaname, be a little more merciful." Kaname shrugged and gave up on finding anything suitable to his taste from the vast and elegantly decorated tables.

"At least the drinks are good." He mused sardonically, watching Takuma still struggle to find something on the table to prove him wrong about how awful the food was.

"Give up, Takuma... Your efforts make me even more disappointed with our clueless host."

Takuma shrugged good-naturedly, "To think that some of these things will be served as the  _rare and unique_  Japanese delights in that new restaurant of our host..." It was clear in Takuma's voice that he was subtly gibing the party host.

"Poor customers..." Kaname rejoined with mild sarcasm and deemed it fit to leave the tasteless food alone. Together, they approached the pond in the middle of the garden and Takuma spoke in a hushed manner.

"Talking about food... How is the work in your new place coming along?" Kaname caught his friend's curious gaze and inclined his head in an assured nod. "It will be better than this, I can guarantee that." Takuma huffed in mock exasperation upon Kaname's suave confidence. "Cruel, aren't you?" He asked without expecting an answer.

Kaname was confident in everything he did and it was always apparent in the way he held himself, in the way he talked and negotiated with his rivals or partners. Though it might seem like the bravery of a fool if it were someone else, who flaunted his baseless pride with a cocky attitude, Kaname was not _someone else_  and neither his pride nor his confidence in himself were baseless. And that commanded to be respected and feared at the same time.

"This is not cruelty." Kaname answered with an elegant shrug of his shoulder. "Stating the simple facts and listening to them, in fact, should be considered as an opportunity to correct what is wrong or complete what is missing."

This professional practicality of Kaname was certainly different from how Takuma's grandfather would look at things. Takuma took a sip from his drink resignedly and thought that had his grandfather been here, he would have without a doubt exacted harsher criticisms in private, but would have smiled at the face of their host as if he was the greatest expert to know what would sell and what would not.

Takuma had never seen Kaname praising a deficient work just to appease his existing partners' or potential connections' egos. Because of this, Takuma respected him and followed him. He thought that Kain was sticking with them for the same reason, too. Kain, even though he looked alarmingly laid back and detached, was also a fine manager who was slowly getting ready to take over the responsibilities of his father's businesses. They were learning from each other and supporting each other in every arena possible. And Takuma was glad that he had some people in this wolfs' den whom he could trust and lean on.

"Will you attend the opening night?" He asked his silent companion. Kaname shook his head, apparently in deep thought.

"You know how much I dislike this kind of gatherings, Takuma."

Takuma raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"But, Kaname... That place is yours... You have made all the plans from the decorations to the menus and servicing style. You are the host..."

Kaname sighed softly. "I am the other share holder, that's all, Takuma. There is no need for me to be present there that night."

Takuma's shoulders slouched slightly upon the news, lips almost pouting. When Kaname realized his friend's disappointment, he amended quickly. "Within the opening week, choose a night and I will treat you and Kain there, deal?" Kaname watched Takuma's eyes brighten up as if he was a little boy who was treated to a piece of candy. This innocent and enthusiastic side of the other young man greatly amused Kaname.

"But I want the special service... In the garden partitions." Takuma insisted.

"And also make sure that the most beautiful girl will serve us, Kaname." Both young man turned to the other voice that rejoined them. It was Kain. "I will make sure to choose the ugliest yet the most talented one in cooking, Kain." Kaname narrowed down his eyes and smirked evilly, an act he reserved only for his close friends.

Kain put his hands in his slacks' pockets and gazed above, his face full of mock misery. "Trust Kaname- _sama_  to ruin a wonderful night." He sighed wistfully, causing his friends to send him amused, disapproving glances.

"I guess what Kain interprets as a wonderful night is ogling the poor service staff whilst what we care is the food and the atmosphere." Takuma reprimanded Kain playfully. Kaname allowed a small laugh to escape his lips when he saw how Kain raised his eyebrows and hands as if he was accepting his guilts, muttering lazily, "Can't help being so popular, sorry."

"Someday, you'll get struck by a beauty and mope around before her feet... When that happens, I am not going to help you, Kain." Kaname added in admonition. And Kain being himself, he just smirked in self confidence and declared that there wasn't yet a girl born who was pretty enough to make him call her for a second time.

And the trio exchanged light banter with smiles without knowing what Lady Luck stored in for them.

* * *

 

The whole next day went by for Zero and his friends in procuring the documents that showed that they were actually college students. Zero hoped that they would somehow be positive points for them when the time came for the election of the staff.

Walking around the campus and observing other students get in and out of their classes and act like normal youngsters would do depressed Zero and Aido greatly, even though the two did their best to hide their feelings. Yes, normal, happy-go-lucky youths were simply enjoying their lives there, though some of them were complaining about their difficult classes, nut-case professors, and low marks, Zero and Aido chose to ignore them. Because it was unfair, but also it was the reality of their situation. Some people turned up their noses at the things they had while others simply would do anything to be in their shoes.

While Zero looked grumpy as usual, Aido fisted his hands in his coat's pockets, followed by a sullen looking Yuuki and indifferent Shiki. They just wished that someday they could be able to finish what they had desired the most.

Zero was still a little bit awestruck at himself and his earlier decision. Every time he remembered that he was practically struggling to become a cross-dressing maiko impostor, his insides churned and his scowl turned into a deadly weapon. Irritation was rolling off of his lean frame and he tried his best to ignore Yuuki when she declared that she would stop at the store to get some new cosmetics. He could tell from Aido's and Shiki's stiffening shoulders that they were thinking on the same line... Yuuki was planing to experiment on them this afternoon. Zero just wanted to dig himself a hole and crawl into it.

But every time he considered chickening out, he reminded himself that this whole ridiculous farce was for Ichiru's sake. Zero was on the point of doing anything for a little bit more money. And ridiculing himself and his pride were becoming things that somehow seemed as an acceptable exchange for the money. There had to be either something wrong with him or he was someone who was really a red blooded fool, ready to stoop down into any kind of disgrace if it meant a means to provide his twin with a better treatment.

He doggedly refused to talk about the reason of his sudden change of heart to his friends, fending their questions off with saying them that if he would succeed today, he would talk about it tonight when things settled down.

Cross-san had informed them of the appointed time and advised the group to come a little bit earlier than the other applicants. Apparently, he also was a little bit concerned about allowing three males to enter the elimination. With a strange twinkling in his eyes, the man had helpfully pointed out that the girls might raise a protest if they found out that they were actually male. And not so surprisingly, Cross had had the gall to point out the reason of their possible objection as:

"Because they might get jealous since I am sure you boys will look much more stunning than the girls when you dress up."

The man certainly had the nerve...

When Yuuki finally deemed that she purchased what she wanted from the store after making her friends stand outside for half an hour, together they left to the hotel to arrive an hour before the appointed time.

"Ah, I see you boys weren't playing a prank on me yesterday." Cross greeted them in the lobby with enthusiasm, dragging them quickly to the changing rooms that he had set up for this occasion. Zero gritted his teeth, Aido huffed to hide his embarrassment, Yuuki happily obliged and Shiki simply followed, making his other two male friends envy him with his constant show of apathy.

Kaien observed the naturally nervous faces of his already favorite service staff candidates, enjoying himself immensely as he stuffed them into a room he prepared for their  _special situation_.

"So, young men and young lady. This is originally a room reserved for the use of the hotel staff but today you could use it however you want." Kaien smiled, his arms pointing at the lockers, mirrors, the small partition that accommodated a washstand. "As you can see, all you'll need is here. And most importantly..." He opened a wooden locker where several elegant boxes were waiting for them to open.

"The kimonos and every other necessary pieces of your costumes are in these boxes." He took them down on to the long, mirrored dresser and waited impatiently for the group to open them. Just as he expected, only Yuuki beamed energetically at the packed costumes and all of the boys fixed the boxes with expressions in their eyes that varied from mild disgust to clear intent of murder. Kaien supposed that it was perfectly normal, so he simply pushed the boxes in to the hands of the group.

"Here, Yuuki-chan, this is yours for now." The energetic girl opened the box and saw the color of her kimono which was a deep brown and rich gold. Her eyes turned starry and she quickly excused herself to the small partition to change, since she thought that the boys would be needing her help afterwards.

"And this is yours, Shiki-kun." Kaien even opened the box for him and tossed the reddish silk article of cloth into his arms which had blue patterns all over it.

"How is it? You like it?" Kaien asked with an overly excited smile. Shiki simply nodded with slightly widened eyes.

Kaien turned his attention to the dour looking Zero and slightly panicked Aido this time. Tossing the remaining boxes in their hands, he declared with the air of a man whom had just discovered a new continent.

"I chose the ones most suitable to your hair and eye colors! Pretty aren't they?"

Zero opened his box and found a pale violet kimono with silver patterns and Aido found a soft yellow one with pastel turquoise motifs. They both sighed hopelessly in unison.

"Try them on, try them..." Kaien quipped. Just as he was leaving them to their own, Zero stopped him with his skeptical sounding voice.

"Cross-san..." Kaien turned around and beamed at him. "What is it, Zero-kun?"

"Don't you somehow... seem overly helpful towards us?" Zero queried with narrowed eyes. Kaien laughed, waving his hand as if it was nothing.

"Zero-kun, if you get the chance to know me better, you'll see that I am usually like this..."

"You mean shamelessly eager?" Zero asked sardonically. Any other man would certainly take Zero's comment as an insult, but Kaien was a peculiar man. "Ah... I don't get to see boys dressing up as pretty girls so often, Zero-kun." Kaien certainly meant it as a taunt, but Zero refused to understand it that way.

"Don't you think that sounded quite... perverted, Cross-san?" The eccentric man laughed at this whole heartedly, his eyes tearing up as the boys watched him with disapproving and cautious glances.

"You very well know that that wasn't what I meant, Zero-kun..." Kaien amended merrily, wiping up his tears behind his glasses. Then suddenly Kaien smiled enigmatically and held their doubtful gazes levelly.

"I am curiously waiting for your performances, young men, don't disappoint me..." And he left the three mildly shocked young men in the room, on their own.

Zero fisted the silk material of the kimono he was to wear and snorted angrily.

"We are aware that we volunteered to turn ourselves into clowns..." He looked at the costume box accusingly. " There is no need for him to make fun of us so openly to make us understand that we are being ludicrous by doing this."

"Well..." Shiki shrugged, inspecting his own garments distractedly. "We dug our graves by ourselves. And I suspect that none of us would like to throw themself in without first seeing how it looks when they are covered with dirt."

Sometimes Shiki's simple and practical approach to things really unnerved Zero. But apparently Aido thought the same, for he reprimanded the other young man with a flushed face.

"Oi, Shiki! For once in your life let me see that stony face of yours a little ashamed or frustrated! In a couple of minutes we are going to walk out of that door as girls... Girls! Does it ring a bell?"

Shiki draped the folds of the luxurious kimono over his shoulders and asked with unadulterated surprise. "Do I really have to feel ashamed just because I have to wear a woman's kimono?"

Aido narrowed down his eyes in exasperation. "Well, guys don't normally walk around in traditional woman's clothing these days, Mr. Smart."

Shiki looked at his flustered friend thoughtfully.

"It doesn't matter what we wear while we do our job. We are not doing something to be ashamed of, we are just trying to earn a living. It is as simple as that." Shiki murmured to himself and ignoring Aido completely, he went to the end of the room with his box and started to get ready.

Zero, who was silently listening as his friends bickered, slowly took the heavy silk cloth out of the box with a serious and begrudging expression on his face. Shiki was right. He was the quiet and laid back member of their small group, but sometimes he would surprise the others with his plain yet sharp observations that could reduce a complicated situation into a simple, bare fact.

Yes, they weren't doing anything to be ashamed of. They were just a couple of youngsters who had nothing to lose but a lot to hope for.

Zero turned towards Aido with a new determination in his lilac eyes. When Aido saw that solid conviction in Zero's eyes, his shoulders squared instinctively and his face turned serious, too.

"Let's not disappoint that weird man and show him that we can work through anything and everything, Aido."

And that was all Aido needed to hear before he started to get ready, too.

* * *

 

Thanks to Yuuki's long and torturous courses on  _'how to wear a woman's kimono'_ , within ten minutes' time all three of the boys were partially in their new attires. Apparently, Kaien was going for a formal look with lots of unnecessary layers, the boys had to wear two layers of underwear which somehow made Zero feel uncomfortable. With the added weight of the actual kimono, the pearl white underwear made the boys feel like they were stick dolls with too many clothing on them. Especially one of the articles, called Susoyoke, which was suspiciously like a petticoat, made all the boys cringe internally as they put them on.

Aido wore his tabi, divided toe socks, with clear contempt, wondering how they were supposed to be comfortable and elegant. When all of them were ready, outer kimonos secured by thin datejimes, tabi worn even though it felt really weird and three pairs of zori, made of black lacquered wood on their feet, the boys waited for Yuuki to come out to help them tie their obi.

Zero refused to gaze at the mirrors, Aido watched his zori clad feet in clear frustration and Shiki played with his kimono's small tie knots. Just then, Yuuki sauntered her way in to the general area of the room with an air of womanly charm none of the boys had ever seen her in since she had always been a tomboy.

Seeing the positively surprised look in her friends' eyes, she turned around herself to give a better look and winked.

"I see you have done your make up and hair, too." Aido observed with a small smile.

"This is a new world record, Yuuki... I thought you would have taken at least two hours." Zero couldn't help but playfully irritate the young girl. True to his expectations Yuuki immediately forgot her lady-like behavior and pouted whilst huffing.

"Who do you think will tie those obi?" She asked with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "I will make sure to tie yours up so tight that you'll suffocate, Zero." She threatened with rosy cheeks.

The group laughed lightly at her weak attempt to look intimidating and there on Yuuki took charge of the matters.

After instructing Zero on how to make a formal knot with her golden obi, she proceeded to tie the others' which were matching colors with their kimonos. Zero wore a deep violet one, Aido wore a rich brown and Shiki wore red.

"Isn't it nice?" Yuuki was talking happily. "These can conceal the bosom and hip area of the wearer... So nobody will get to see your delicious  _lack of_ curves, guys..." She wasn't stopping making snide remarks about their  _finely_  concealed masculinity even when she heard Zero's angry grunts and Aido's sharp rebukes. She was actually enjoying herself in her friends' expense and only Shiki was immune to it.

When they were ready, Yuuki disappeared behind the mirrored dressers and turned back with a bag of cosmetics and various extravagant hair ornaments. Zero blanched at the evil gleam in her eyes and Aido started to profusely declare that if she planned to put any of those ridiculous things on his face or hair, she would be dead tonight.

And Yuuki simply grinned.

After ten minutes, Shiki was standing in the room, his thick shock of maroon hair adorned with a few pins made of fake stones, a light brownish shadow over his eye lids, eyelashes darker and longer with brown mascara and pale lips colored with a soft hue of peach puff.

The other two male occupants of the room looked at Shiki in horror, because he really looked like a girl. But obviously Shiki didn't care at all, since he even nodded at his reflection in the mirror approvingly.

Aido was the next victim. Yuuki made him practically scream bloody murder as she combed his wild blond hair to his one side to create room for a big, beautiful yellow orchid that she found in his box. Aido's face got the same treatment, eyes shadowed with navy blue hues, lips painted with a flesh colored lipstick.

Zero was trying his damnedest to not laugh at his friend's face, but he looked... dare he say... really cute, and he knew very well that to call Aido, or any other guy for that matter, as cute was equal to sign his dying will. So he stayed put and donned an aggravated mask, hands folded over his violet kimono.

This was no time to forget for what reason he was here; tormenting himself.

Yuuki demanded that Shiki and Aido should turn their backs as she worked on Zero, since she wanted to see their surprised faces when she was finished with destroying Zero's pride. The other boys complied easily, especially Aido who obviously wanted a hearty laugh after the torture he went through in Yuuki's hands.

Yuuki seemed so enthusiastic, she was even more careful now than she had been with Shiki and Aido. Zero silently took it all, letting her paint his eye lids, eyelashes, lips... Dress his hair... all the while the young man breathed from his nose but miraculously controlled himself.

When the other two was allowed to see Yuuki's masterpiece, Zero expected hoards of laughter to erupt but all he could see was a slack-jawed blond and a shocked brunette.

Zero was wearing a deep silver rose on the left side of his head, with fake stones dangling from it, eyes were painted to the most beautiful hue of lavender, eyelashes a very dark purple color, lips shiny with a rosy flesh color. Zero looked stunning...

"Oi, Aido..." Zero scowled, clearly annoyed being thus ogled by his friends.

"Look at yourself..." Was all Aido could say before grinning, making Zero glance at his self for the first time in a mirror.

He would forever remember the "girl" he saw there as Yuuki victoriously laughed and clapped her hands, talking about how their skin was so baby like, taunting them about their lack of facial hair and how convenient it was at times like this as if the boys were generally walking around with cream and power on their faces.

Zero didn't even hear the half of her insult-like babbling and silently thanked her for her earnest efforts.

* * *

 

Kaien looked with wide, shiny eyes at them. This was more than he was expecting and he was unashamedly admiring the boys and the petite girl with open stupefaction. Though the boys seemed stiff and nervous, their slim figures, especially Zero's, were very appealing to the eye and the kimonos seemed to be made as if just for them even though the patterns of the silk cloths were the same, depicting a scenery of a castle situated above rocky slums, high trees surrounding it with cranes taking flight in the foreground, the symbols of The Imperial.

The participants were nearly all present and were divided into several small groups. Zero and his friends were all in different groups and Zero was nervously waiting for his group's turn to be tested. He felt suffocated and hot even though the waiting area was pretty cool. Yet he knew that the reason was neither the clothes nor the room temperature but the constant glances he was subjected to by the other participants. Was he found out, was the other girls aware of him being a male, was he looking really, utterly, most embarrassingly ridiculous? What was he going to do?

Questions were gnawing at his mind as the other girls seemingly dug him in to the laminated floor with their gazes, he wished he had been with his friends. It was silly and weak of him to think that way but he really was willing to listen to Yuuki's constant chit-chat rather than enduring the scrutinizing glares of some strangers.

Time ticked by and Aido's and Shiki's groups entered the closed doors and Zero wondered if they did well or not. But no one was coming back through the door they were entering and suddenly Zero felt really alone and humiliated. He wanted to be a chef, dammit... He was sure of his skills and proud of them. What was he doing here in these clothes, again? Zero sighed and smiled ruefully to himself. All this mockery the fates dished before him was too much.

But he stood still and waited. Zero was not someone who would left something unfinished. Even if he were to be degraded to his bones, he had to see it with his own eyes. He could do this.

When his group, consisting of seven girls and himself entered through the doors, a waiter handed each of them small pieces of papers and showed them the direction of the kitchens and the tables they were to attend.

Zero looked at his own paper with wide eyes, the dish he was to present was not something that could be serviced on a platter. It was shabu-shabu...

" _What the hell?"_ The young man thought.  _"So an upscale restaurant serves shabu-shabu after it was cooked?"_

The other girls rushed to get their orders from the kitchen and he felt panic rising in him, left alone.

" _Get a grip, Kiryuu... This is set up as a game... Remember what Yuuki taught you last night."_

Before going to the kitchens, he advanced towards the dining area and discreetly glanced at the sitting places. He found the table he was to serve and to his surprise, it was not simply a table but a partition, carrying his number on the paper shoji doors. He realized with a start that he was not only to serve the meal but also cook it as far as he recalled Yuuki's explanations about the partitions of the restaurant.

Zero rushed to the kitchen to fetch his order, a large bowl of thinly sliced kobe beef, various kinds of seafood, mushrooms, vegetables, all arranged together into a delicious display. When he stood before the shoji door, he took in a deep breath and left his zori outside since he was sure that the inside of the partition was covered with tatami.

After gently voicing that he was entering, with small steps, he got in and bowed his head slightly at his pseudo patrons, one of whom was Kaien himself. His eyes quickly sweeping over the room, Zero realized that this patrons were seated on legless chairs around a low table on a platform a little higher ground, before which stood a large in-build stove with a skillet on top of it. There was water in the skillet and Zero could tell that it was already heating up.

Near the entrance of the partition stood two low tables on both sides which were covered with everything that a server might need during their performance. Yes, Zero was aware that he was expected to present a performance here. And he was determined to show the smiling Kaien how a simple shabu-shabu could turn into a feast.

Walking around in a kimono was hard, he admitted, but it was even harder to sit and stand up in it, too. Zero realized it when he tried to put down the ingredients bowl before the waiting patrons. He gritted his teeth and endured, smiling slightly to cover his awkwardness.

He went for the tables and chose several dipping sauces, all the while minding what would suit most to the ingredients given to him. There were several kinds of kombu and ready to use dashi, but he chose one made with a mushroom called shiitake. It was not used commonly, but he was sure the taste was to be wonderful.

He returned with his selections and after placing his dashi into the skillet, he gently put the dipping sauces before his patrons. Kaien observed that Zero also put some of the sauces near himself and raised an eyebrow at it.

As they waited for the water to boil, Zero asked, trying to make his voice as natural sounding as possible.

"Are there any vegetarians, sir?" The waiting men shook their heads but one of them asked him if he could get salmons and shrimps instead of the beef. Zero nodded and his eyes nervously averted to the sake stand beside him. With a discreet look, he recognized the types of different sakes which were all mild in taste. Zero carefully located a sake bottle near the stove, before the white ceramic partition reserved for his use. If the sake was lacking in flavor, what better way was there other than heating it up a little bit and letting it show its full body on the palates of his judges... no, patrons.

Before the water boiled, he took out the dashi and drenched its flavor into the remaining water by squeezing it a bit with a wooden tong. Forgetting about how closely he was being observed, with deft movements he put in some baby shrimps and some relatively thick sliced squid and salmon. Whilst they happily twirled in the gently boiling water, he took small ceramic service bowls and cooked beef slices, handing them quickly to the waiting men. Without stopping, he took out the seafood and passed them to the one who preferred them. The occupants of the room, four people at total, dipped their share into sesame or soy sauces and started eating.

From then on, it was a blur for Zero. He expertly handed out the cooked meat as many times as the men passed their empty bowls to him. Dazed a bit, Zero got up from his seat and serviced the heated sake whilst he was crouching behind the seatings of the diners. Kaien was amazed how quick Zero was being. He never let the meat cook for too long, he never failed to be ready when an empty bowl or sake cup was passed to him.

Meticulously skimming the foam in the skillet, Zero mushed some of the remaining smaller slices of the meat and he left them to boil in the broth as he cooked the chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and thin carrot slices together on the one side of the skillet. He took a small bowl, mixing some garlic sauce with vinegar, adding some of the boiling water from the skillet with some much more acidic sake and mixed them together with a dash of salt. He added his new mix on the table in small dipping cups and after serving the vegetables with lightly simmered cotton tofu, he urged the diners to taste them with the new dipping sauce he just made.

The result was unreadable upon the faces of his judges. And he berated himself for going before his limits.

After replenishing another round of sake cups with hot sake, Zero realized that the men didn't want to eat the whole of the main service plate, as there were probably some other people whose foods they needed to taste. Zero awkwardly offered to make a soup with the remaining broth. When Kaien nodded his permission, Zero asked.

"Would you like rice or noodles, sir?" To Zero's surprise, Kaien smiled and happily declared that they would eat the one whichever Zero deemed suitable.

Zero stood up, feeling his legs laden because of his cramped sitting position and looked at the tables, thinking. After a short while, during which he agonized over what would go good with what, he returned with his selection and quickly prepared the soup.

He skimmed the water again but thought that it was still too ...dare he say dirty for his tastes, so he quickly cracked four eggs in to the boiling water, letting the yolks collect the floating small pieces of meat and vegetables and after cooking them he took them out on four platters. Quickly he added the already water-simmered thus ready to use rice and barley, miso, left over shiitake mushrooms and beef pieces that he had left in the broth. As he waited for the soup, he decorated the eggs with small pieces of radish and he serviced the soup, after decorating the bowls with fresh negi onion, cut into small rings.

He used chilled sake this time, for a milder taste to not cover the taste of the soup and the eggs, and waited anxiously for them to finish and say something.

After tasting the soup and taking a bite from his egg, Kaien sighed enigmatically and looked at his companions, nodding at them, he turned to Zero.

"Thanks for assisting us, Roze-chan." The man smiled as Zero barely kept himself from spluttering in sheer disbelief.  _"Roze...-chan!?..."_ Zero gritted his teeth even though he was smiling softly at him.

"My pleasure, sir..."

" _This is it! He is mocking me... He hated the whole ordeal... He hated the meal..."_  He agonized deep inside, eyes shimmering in well contained anger and hurt.

"You can leave." Kaien ended the trial and made Zero's defeat turn into a silent misery... But Zero stood tall and bowed slightly at the men after softly announcing his leave, his shoulders not sagging until the time he slided the shoji door upon his embarrassment.

* * *

 

The next waiting salon Zero was ushered to was quite crowded now, but he was at least able to find his friends already waiting for him there, except for Yuuki. With a dour and disappointed face, he complained to Aido and Shiki through his pale lips. "That man mocked me, he called me Roze-chan, for goodness sake!"

"You, too?" Asked Aido, "He called me Aoi...What kind of a lame name is that?"

Shiki sighed with apparent exasperation. "It is at least not something along the lines of... Shiko-chan..." He muttered.

Aido barely suppressed a very masculine boom of laughter from blowing their cover. "Shiko?... Hah, it suits you Shiki, since you can sometimes be so stony..."

But Aido's mirth didn't last long, seeing the defeated expression on Zero's face. As they waited for Yuuki to finish her test, they talked among themselves, realizing that they all had been tested in the partitions and served the same meal.

"It was a simple dish, quickly prepared and required nearly nothing special." Shiki commented. "I wonder why they chose it..."

Zero shrugged, counting down the minutes, ready to bolt to the changing room to get rid of these disturbingly, suffocating costumes and never come back here.

When Yuuki returned with the last group, she was doing her best to smile but the boys could easily read her nervousness, she was put out immensely. Yuuki said that she had also served at the same partitions and even though she was a culinary culture student like Zero, she suspected greatly whether she did well.

Their doubts came to end when Cross and his companions, more than fifteen people altogether, came up front and Cross waited for everyone to quiet down. Adjusting his glasses with an enigmatic air, Cross shuffled his papers and began to talk.

"Ladies... These gentlemen that you have served as your test, are taste experts and authorities on table etiquette and serving. After our discussion, we made our choices and I am going to read the names of the ones who will work with us from now on. We thank all of you for your patience with us. The ones that I read their names, please stay here and the rest can leave."

Cross read name after name and none of them was from Zero's group. They exchanged sad and disappointed glances with each other, readying themselves to leave when Kaien came to the twenty-fifth name and stopped.

"These will be the regular serving staff who will work around the Western style tables." He announced. "The next fifteen people will work solely in the partitions."

And Cross began to read again. To their delighted surprise, Yuuki's, Aido and Shiki's names were called, too, though Aido was called for as Aoi and Shiki as Shiko. Zero was left out and his friends refused to part from his side. All fourteen names were announced and Kaien smugly corrected his glasses.

"The last name that I will announce will act like a head-waitress and will exclusively have her own partition that will be utilized in accordance of her wishes and needs. As you all know, we have asked of you to cook and service us a very plain and simple dish, but there was only one person who turned it into a complete art, using what was given to her to their utmost potential... She is Kiryuu Roze-chan."

Zero's jaw dropped open, he didn't even understand that he was chosen as the head-waitress, for his mind was numb because of the sheer gall with which Cross openly called him as Roze. Kaien was so dead!

It was Yuuki who clapped her hands happily in victory, practically killing Zero with a bear hug and making him realize that his torment hadn't been in vain.

"You won, you won! You are the best among everyone,  _Roze-chan_!"

Zero simply stared and let his friends smother him until the time he collected his scattered brains a bit to berate Yuuki for calling him with that stupid name over and over.

* * *

 

It was past nine o'clock when Kaien finished instructing his new employees about what they were expected to do and what was the restaurant's aim. He chatted merrily about how The Imperial must be the jewel of all the establishments of the city and even the country with its impeccable staff, heavenly dishes, and royal atmosphere that would leave the diners with a dream-like experience. The new recruits were to go under a tough training for five days until the restaurant's opening night next Friday and by then Kaien stated that ' _the skills of his beautiful girls will be honed to the perfection_ '...

Kaien made Zero, and thus his friends, wait a bit longer to talk privately to them.

"Zero-kun~" The man practically swooned since they were now alone and he began an endless talk on how his personally-made sauce was so delicious, how his soup was heart melting, how his hot sake was still lingering on his tongue.

"I thought you were simply mocking me back there, Cross-san..." Zero countered sourly.

"Aaa..." Kaien pouted. "Sure, you are not the best cook out there Zero-kun, but what you did there was spectacular. And I simply loved it!"

Zero huffed, Kaien clasped his hands before him and looked like a mad man full of adoration.

"Don't you think you are bit creepy when you act like this, Cross-san?" Aido commented skeptically.

"Oh, but I am always like this!" Kaien declared with an air of pride. "Get used to this, since you'll be  _my girls_  from now on..."

The boys didn't know how to respond to the 'my girls' part, so they simply stared at the man with numb expressions.

"Oh, and call me Chairman Cross from now on, since I am the head of a partnership group that also covers The Imperial."

Zero raised one of his eyebrows and shook his head at the man's antics, labeling him as an air-head but who had good intentions in mind.

"Were you serious when you said that I could have a partition of my own, Chairman?"

"Of course!" Cross dragged them to the base floor and let them in to have a look at the actual restaurant. "Tomorrow, after the training, you'll come here with me and we'll talk about whatever we can do..." He smiled knowingly. "You boys were not at all the most feminine beings out there, Zero-kun... But you were really something to behold when you served us. And your skills certainly covered up your defects as a first time cross-dresser."

Zero grumbled with distaste. "Please don't talk as if you go and wear female clothes as a past time hobby, Chairman, it is disturbing." Kaien laughed at that.

"That could be easily rectified, you have a pretty lady here who can show you boys how to act a little bit more delicate and teach you how to sit and stand in those clothes, ne Aido-kun?"

Aido flushed, muttering something about stupid folds of the kimonos and how they made them one look clumsier than normal. Shiki shook his head, Zero eyed the happily smiling, flattered Yuuki with disbelief.

"This tomboy... A lady?" And Yuuki nudged him in the ribs with a huff.

"Now, now..." Kaien smiled serenely, his face bright. "I have really great expectations from the lot of you, so please do your best, okay?"

"What about our true identity?" Aido asked with some worry on his face. Kaien contemplated for a while.

"Actually, Aido-kun... None of the people present there realized that you were boys. True, they told me that you guys are bit clumsy and inelegant, but they all deemed that it was a matter of learning how one carries themselves and you could all do it eventually. It just requires practice."

"Don't you plan on informing the other girls about us?" Shiki asked.

"Should I?" Kaien answered.

"Maybe you should... To prevent misunderstandings and trouble that might arise in the future..." Zero supplied with serious eyes.

Kaien thought again with a straight face. "I will think about it. But for now, use the aliases that I introduced you with, I will manage the other girls and keep their mouths shut if they wanted to continue working here or find another job which I can prevent them from with just a word of mine."

The group stood still, shock written on their faces. So, this man wasn't as an air head as Zero suspected him to be.

"You are a dangerous man, Cross-san." Shiki told truthfully.

"Aren't we all when we want something?" Was Kaien's humor laced, yet dead serious reply.

_TBC..._

 


	3. Chapter 3

That day, when they returned home, it was nearly midnight. They found the lights turned off, so, mindful of the sleeping Ichiru, they silently went into the room that Shiki and Aido shared. Yuuki quickly rushed off to her own room to get rid of her cosmetics bag, telling the boys that she was going to make tea for everyone.

Zero was so tired that he deposited his aching body on Shiki's bed as the other two sat on Aido's and leaned their backs on the cold wall. Whistling to himself, Aido tried to brush off the molding spray that Yuuki had fixed his hair with, using his numb fingers.

"That was clearly something..." He muttered, meaning the events of the evening. "My back hurts for some reason."

Shiki, who was trying to loosen up the tight feeling in his legs by stretching them, dryly rejoined.

"Those costumes certainly look beautiful, but sitting in them is like a torture."

Zero sighed and got up from his lying position to massage his calves and knees, eyebrows knotted in a scowl. "We have to learn how to feel comfortable in them sooner or later..." He conceded. "Since you guys were so keen on getting this job, learning to behave coquettishly is inevitable." He snorted with sarcasm.

Aido huffed. "You still haven't told us why you suddenly changed your idea about applying there with us, Zero."

Zero turned his head away after taking a glance at his blond friend. Was there an accusatory look in Aido's eyes?

"I know you, Zero..." Aido crossed his arms over his chest, turquoise eyes somehow gleamed with displeasure. "You would never ever stomach something like this were it not for a good reason."

"Is there a problem that we don't know about, Zero?" Shiki joined to his friend's questions with his own.

Really, growing up together with someone surely made them sensitive to each other's every mood change and Zero felt both flustered and thankful for it at the same time. His friends were always there to at least offer a shoulder when he could no longer bottle up some of his worries that devoured his heart.

Yuuki came in to the cool and silent room just then and she set a tray full of hot tea cups on Aido's nightstand. There wasn't a trace of her earlier cheerfulness on her face, apparently she had been overhearing their conversation from the small kitchen.

"Yes, Zero... It is time to tell us." She tried to coax him, passing him his tea and sitting beside him on the bed.

Zero's shoulders slumped and he sighed. The smell of the green tea was calming and his friends' company was priceless. Thanks to them, he felt himself ready to confide his worries even though normally he would hate to expose his weaknesses so openly.

"Starting from this month, the government is cutting the money they give us for Ichiru's medical expenses." He muttered into his cup. There was no need to look up and check his friends' faces to see the shocked pain his words etched there.

"But how can they do that!" Yuuki felt pain clutch at her small bosom upon the news. Zero's shoulders tensed, his pain intensifying as if stirred up by Yuuki's.

"We can't do anything... It is their decision." He mused. "Actually, I am glad that they had been covering him up for such a long time."

"So, that's why you had rushed to the hotel, yesterday..." Aido muttered sullenly. "For earning more to meet the demanded sum..."

Zero simply nodded and sipped his tea. Silence settled into the room and its occupants continued to sit and absently gaze at their warm cups in their hands, all heads bowed down. Zero was uncomfortable to some level because of the bleak and sombre atmosphere that engulfed his friends as a result of his words and just as he was expecting to hear the pitying comments from his friends, he was proven wrong in a pleasant way.

Yuuki smiled and encouragingly squeezed his arm, confidence clear in her doe eyes. "But from now on you are able to pay the whole sum by yourself, Zero... And you won't be worrying about the rent and other bills, too..." Zero looked at the cheerful girl with wide eyes.

"Yes!" Aido quipped energetically. "You are chosen as the head waitress... You'll even get your own serving space, full of everything you'll need to use, Zero!" Zero turned to the blond with the same dazed expression on his face. "And I am sure it wasn't just luck, because whatever you cook would make anyone eat their fingers, too."

Slowly, a small smile found its way to Zero's pale lips. Weren't these people just amazing? What he hated the most in this world was being pitied and consoled as if he was a weakling who couldn't even look after his baby brother, who needed the empty assurance of others to keep on standing on his two feet... His friends certainly knew him well, but Zero was aware that they weren't talking like this to give him baseless hope or to show hollow compassion. They were saying what they thought, believing their words and in their own way even congratulating him for finding a way out of this trouble that threatened to swallow him up in desperation.

"When I told you that there is nothing to be ashamed of in what we are doing, Zero, Aido, Yuuki, I tried to mean this... That we are doing our best even against all the crap that life throws at us..." Shiki sipped his tea with a ghost of a smile. "Aren't you a wonderful big brother, Zero? To all of us..."

That was not a question but a small praise and uttered in such a heart warming way that it stunned Zero speechless for a second. "Ah, Shiki smiled, Shiki smiled!" Yuuki giggled and Aido spun around to see his friend's face with such a ridiculously childish wonder that made Zero and Yuuki laugh.

As Aido was struggling to get Shiki to smile again, Yuuki was practically shaking Zero from his arm, declaring in that disarmingly sweet and childish grin of hers that Zero should be her brother, too and take good care of her, too.

Their small late-night-chatting ended when the trio managed to annoy the hell out of Zero by saying that Zero would also be a wonderful  _Nee-san_  and always cook them the most delicious meals whenever they nagged her... ahem... him like small spoiled brats. Zero threatened them with killing them all in their sleep and the group scattered to their beds. Zero left the room with a pleased grin plastered on his face, but not before smothering Yuuki with her pillow for calling him "Roze nee-san is scary!"

* * *

 

Returning to the room which he shared with Ichiru, Zero was feeling a little bit better than before. His friends surely had a way of cheering him whilst they also riled him up. But when Zero shed his clothes and wore his nightwear, all previous agitation left his mind upon seeing the serene face of his slumbering twin on the bed they shared.

Their room was the smallest one in the house, thus Zero and Ichiru couldn't use separate beds. That problem was solved by aligning their bedsteads together. Neither of them minded sleeping on the same bed even though they were both adults now. On the contrary, Ichiru was really happy to continue indulging his best sleeping arrangement habit that remained with them from their days in the orphanage.

Zero reclined on his side of the bed; Ichiru was always mindful of not occupying the whole space to leave room for his twin. With a soft smile upon his lips, Zero caressed Ichiru's hair softly, resting his head on his bent arm. But his light caress inadvertently woke Ichiru up. Curling towards the gentle warmth of his elder, Ichiru opened his bleary lilac eyes and smiled at Zero, who was still playing with his longish silver strands.

"Zero-nii..." He mumbled sleepily and tried to get a little bit more closer. Chuckling lowly in his throat, Zero hugged him and easily pulled him into a loose embrace. He rested his chin upon Ichiru's head and murmured soothingly.

"Sorry for waking you up, Ichiru."

Ichiru shook his head to show that he didn't mind, whispering with a slightly surprised tone. "You are early tonight, Zero..."

"Yeah... Is it bad?" Zero asked, playfully tousling his twin's hair. He could feel Ichiru's small laugh under his hand which rested on his twin's left ribs. "Of course not." The other young boy smiled and snuggled even more closer. "I get to enjoy more of Zero-nii's company thanks to that." And he contentedly sighed, filling his lungs with his brother's scent.

That made Ichiru frown and woke him a little bit up. "Zero, you smell of cream and powder." He whispered with puzzlement. Zero cringed inside, he should have taken a shower before bed even though the water was usually ice cold at this hour of night.

"Yuuki's fault." Zero forced himself to add humor in his voice, but Ichiru was wide awake now. He gently pulled away from Zero's hold to look at his twin's face.

"Zero-nii... Did you go there? Are you early because of that?" There was a shadow of a pain in Ichiru's eyes and Zero hated seeing it in them. "Yes, Ichiru... I was at the recruiting test. In fact, we all were."

For a moment, the younger twin looked down and contemplated, then hesitantly asked. "How did it go?" Zero smiled at his brother reassuringly. "We all were chosen. We'll start tomorrow, Ichiru." The younger boy's eyes widened upon the news.

"Why are you smiling, Zero-nii?" He asked, his averted eyes suddenly reflecting hurt and guilt. "I'll work harder, I'll take more jobs... Please... Please don't force yourself to do something you hate for my sake. Stop being like this... Stop sacrificing..."

Zero felt his heart broke, his face paling and an icy cold chill running down his spine despite the warmth of his brother's body by his side. This was wrong... Ichiru should never speak in this desperate tone. His hand quickly found Ichiru's chin and he gently lifted up his twin's face and made him look at his eyes.

"Never speak like this again, Ichiru." He berated his brother firmly, seriousness dripping from his voice. "You are my other half and I would do anything to see you alright. This is not sacrificing... I am not giving up anything from my self. I am not doing anything wrong." And his gentle smile returned to his face. "In fact, might even enjoy this... The manager is a nut-case but seems like a good person, the others are with me, too... And I will do what I am best at doing... Cooking."

Even though Zero tried to look relaxed and convicted, he realized that his twin's eyes shone with a sheen of tears. "Ichiru... It will be fun. And I will do my best, I am the head-waiter..." He assured him and chuckled to brighten up his brother, too... "Well, I should have said  _head-waitress_..." He rolled his eyes and draped his hand over Ichiru's side again, tickling him a bit and making him giggle despite himself.

"Don't feel as if you owe to me, don't feel as if I am sacrificing something for you... Not that I wouldn't do it if need arose." Zero focused on his brother's heart beats and felt at ease thanks to the strong rhythm of it.

"I would do anything for you, Zero-nii." Ichiru whispered with such an earnest gleam in his eyes that made Zero happy and contented. "Thank you." And the younger boy took Zero's hand and after kissing it, he cradled it into his chest.

There was an impossibly soft expression on Zero's face and Ichiru tried to smile for him.

"Thank you so much for being my brother..."

Zero sighed and tousled his hair again, telling him to not think about these things and go to sleep. His hand remained where it was and for a while Zero watched Ichiru whilst he slumbered. The imperfect heart of his twin was thudding under Zero's palm and before he drifted off, a thought fleetingly crossed his mind.

_I will do anything for this heart to keep beating. Anything..._

* * *

 

The next five days went by as if it was a long horror show from which none of the cast could escape alive. Zero and Yuuki were already knowledgeable on the proper etiquette for servicing and presenting dishes. But Aido and Shiki had certainly learned lots of new things from the trainers. Neither him nor Shiki would have guessed that there would be a refined and elegant way to pour tea or sake into a cup or to handle the bowls and plates before putting them on the tables.

The trainers demonstrated anything and everything. They even learned how to calm down a displeased diner, how to urge even the most conservative and picky patron to try new delicacies, and how to greet them and see them off in the most polite of ways.

For the most part, it was all a piece of cake for them since they were made practice these new things a lot. But what was the most horrifying part was when on the third day Cross came into the old restaurant and introduced actual geishas to them as their new teachers of 'refined manners and elegance'.

Since they had attended the training all in their costumes, by the third day Zero, Aido and Shiki was able to walk in them much more easily. But the geisha teachers made them tie the knots of their outer kimonos and obi so many times that the boys were now able to do it with closed eyes and in only a few minutes. Zero's hands were aching because of the number of times that he was made to tie the knot of the obi on Aido's kimono. And like-wise, Aido was able to do four different knots in a few minutes thanks to the strict tutelage of their perfectionist teachers.

On the fourth day, the fifteen who was to serve in the private sections, were spared aside and underwent a much more cruel training. The geisha teachers were eying the three boys with apparent wonder every time they couldn't sit or stand up properly, as if somehow sensing that they were actually boys, not girls.

"I am sure that crazy Chairman told them what we are..." Aido was huffing with exhaustion though he was sitting and standing up continuously just like his two friends. There were a few other girls accompanying their little group of  _'_ klutzes who didn't even know how to properly sit and get up' _._ Of course, their teachers were so refined that they would never call them as such to their faces, but the boys did have ears to hear when their trainers muttered under their breaths several  _nice_  comments about their collective oafishness.

"Think of this as an exercise to have horse legs when you want to kick somebody's butt, Aido." Zero whispered sarcastically even though he, too, was a little bit flushed with the exertion.

"Yeah... A blond, spectacled, smiling weirdo's butt for example." Aido added with puffy cheeks, maliciously glancing towards the overly pleased looking Kaien who had been watching their progress.

Zero only snorted.

* * *

 

In the evenings, Zero was busy with Cross in the actual restaurant's floor. There were two entrances to the place, one through the main doors of the hotel and one through the garden that surrounded the three sides of the restaurant. There was a big, Japanese style garden in the middle and it was enclosed from its three sides by the sitting areas and the kitchens that were behind the line where the hotel stood. And the sitting places were also covered with greenery and authentic garden decorations. Basically it was like a square within a square.

The Japanese garden in the middle was partially surrounded by private dining partitions which were in various sizes and closed behind by shoji paper walls and was wall-less on the garden side in order to provide a nice viewing pleasure for the diners whilst they ate. The whole place, except for the main garden was roofed partially, the decors on of the roof resembling that of a shrine's.

"Why are the partitions in different sizes?" Zero asked as Cross accompanied him in a walk around the vast place.

"Well, we will book them according to the number of the diners, you see, Zero-kun." Cross explained pridefully. "Of course, every dining area has the same equipments built in them, but we won't accept patrons there without reservations before hand. The one that will be given to you is the master room. Here, let's see it."

Together, the duo entered a large room, separated from the Western style sitting area by orange colored shoji walls. The shoji paper was decorated with elegantly depicted mountains, ocean sceneries, wild animals and beautiful Japanese women, sitting under their umbrellas.

"When the paper lanterns are lit, the place looks as if it was stolen from a fairy tale book..." Cross sighed happily, sliding the door and letting Zero in.

The floor was covered with beige tatami and felt soft and welcoming under Zero's tired feet. On either sides of the entrance, there stood waist high tables made from lacquered brown wood, with many shelfs. "These will be filled with all the necessary things... Ready to use tofu, miso, simmered rice, barley, wheat and corn, nori slices, all the dipping sauces you can imagine, and several raw materials like eggs, cut vegetables and sake of various kinds."

It was at times like these the Chairman seemed like a sane and dependable person and Zero was secretly enjoying the man's controlled eagerness.

"Come, Zero kun..." Kaien urged him. On the longest line of the partition, there was the platform where the dining table and sittings rested on. And before the platform, on the lower ground was the cooking area reserved for the performer. Zero was getting used to the term 'performer', since he was now gradually coming to terms with the idea that he was not only expected to cook and serve but also was expected to provide a sort of entertainment with his skills.

"The cooking area has three stoves as you can see... On one of them, there will be a sheet metal for grilling, on one of them there will be a wide skillet for pot dishes, and one of them will be built suitable to cook oden on it."

"So, these partitions will only serve these kind of things?" Zero asked, noticing that there were two small shelves located between the stoves.

"Yes, and the patrons who will book these will be aware of what to expect, Zero-kun." Suddenly Cross sat before the stoves and happily showed him the shelves between them. "Here you can warm your sake and put any kinds of crockery for extra uses. Aren't they nice?" Zero nodded his head with a small smile.

"It was me who thought of these." Kaien grinned like a child who had just won a game. It was clear that this man loved this place and was actually much more nervous and zealous than he let on. Zero liked people of this kind, the ones who wholeheartedly held onto their dreams till the end.

"You really love this place, don't you, Chairman?" He commented with a dazed expression on his face, eyes still sweeping around the finely decorated, beautiful room. Cross turned back and looked at his new employee with wide eyes. The look on Zero's face at that moment was complacent but at the same time wistful. Under the light make up, his face looked young and without worries, something Kaien knew was a rare sight. He could see that the young man was a troubled youth, weighted under the burden of something he couldn't guess.

"Zero-kun..." Kaien called for the young man's attention and Zero looked at him with silent query. "I am sure this place will be a great success." He smiled at him. "This was a dream of mine that came true with the helps of my other share holder who also owns this hotel and many other wonderful places around the city and this country. But I am not some cold blooded businessman who can detach himself from his work emotionally."

Zero raised his eyebrows in surprise caused by the sudden show of maturity and confession. Kaien smiled again and got up. "That's why I try to do my best with what I have in my hands... And... I saw the same thing in you on that elimination test. You did your best with what you had. Many people are not even able to produce a decent result even though they have the best means, but I am sure you can do a lot better with what is given to you. And that sincerity is the sole thing that I admire the most in a person."

Zero stood slack jawed through Kaien's talk. How could some stranger see through him this easily and effortlessly?

"Whatever you young men's reasons are, I am happy that you are all brave enough to try something risky and new for you." Kaien nodded his head firmly with honesty.

Zero couldn't help but relax under that well intentioned, truthful gaze. He bowed his head politely and elegantly thanked the man.

"We are also glad that you took a risk by employing us, Cross-san."

"Ara?" Kaien laughed. "I see the trainers are doing a fine job, Roze-chan... You are more of a beauty fit for those clothes now, see?" And he made that irritating swooning gesture with hands clasped before his chest, causing Zero's eyes to twitch, earlier ease and mature atmosphere long destroyed by the man's annoying antics.

"You are doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Zero grumbled, to his displeasure, hyping up Kaien more.

* * *

 

Kaname was busy with paper signing and a telephone call when Kain and Takuma entered his office. It was a tiring day, full of mundane paper work and he had been working none-stop without even a break. This noon, he had had to attend to a meeting with one of his business partners, so he didn't get to eat anything. But knowing that tonight they were to go to The Imperial with his friends, he refrained himself from filling his stomach with anything that could dampen his intention of fully enjoying his dinner.

Hanging up, he smiled at his friends and motioned them to sit and get comfortable whilst he was still reading some papers on the importations of one of his hotels, waiting for his authentication.

"Still working, Kaname?" Takuma asked with a slightly pitying look on his face.

"Sorry, I have to read a few more papers before we can leave." Kaname smiled softly.

"Wow, you really take it hard..." Kain muttered, "Want me to call for some coffee or tea?" He offered compassionately.

"Ah, please do so, I am sorry for making you wait." Kaname murmured, already immersed in his reading.

A few minutes later, Seiren, Kaname's personal secretary, came in with a tray of tea and left the room silently.

"The reservations?" Kain spoke in a low tone in order to not bother Kaname's work and sipped his tea.

Takuma smiled assuringly. "Of course... I gave Kaname's name." He winked at his friend. Kaname chuckled softly. "But I still remember what I promised you, Kain." He signed another paper and began to read the next one. "You'll get the most talented cook... But I can't guarantee her beauty... or as a matter of fact, the lack of it..."

Takuma laughed merrily, seeing how Kain's face fell and Kain simply rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Cruel Mr. President..."

* * *

 

The trio was welcomed warmly by Cross himself at the garden entrance. The orange glows from the paper lanterns were illuminating the place, hung among the trees and casting mysterious yet warm and inviting patches of light. Cross led his guests towards their booked partition through the inner garden, all the while happily chatting about how it was so nice to see them here this night, especially Kaname.

"I wish you were here on the opening day, Kaname-kun." He was saying as they passed by the stone lantern and walked around the large koi pond, the young men admiring the poetic scenery.

"I thought it would be better to enjoy this beauty after things calmed down a bit, but I see that the place is full even though it is still early." Kaname amended.

"Isn't it?" Kaien beamed. "Thanks to your support and generousness, we already got full reservations for a month. Though the private areas are not always occupied, I am sure they will become the most popular thing about The Imperial."

Takuma smiled. "So, it is already a success... I am glad that we got the best place even though it is packed full." Kaien stood before the largest partition and slid the door, letting them in. "You are always welcome here no matter how full the restaurant is, Takuma-kun."

The young men got in and made themselves comfortable, all the while admiring the beauty of the room and the scenery of the garden. Their table was already decorated with several appetizers and cups of cooled sake and Kaname took a bite from a deep fried tofu, enjoyment written on his face.

"Shall I turn on the floor heating or is it warm enough?" Kaien asked. "It is good, Cross-san, leave it like this." Kaname nodded. "So, who is the best cook here?" He asked, already feeling his hunger demanding to be appeased.

"I will send her immediately, Kaname-kun." Kaien declared with a twinkle in his eyes. "Will it be a full course?"

"Yes." Kain reached for his sake cup. "We are so hungry..." Takuma smiled.

Kaien nodded and left the room, rushing to find Zero.

After a few minutes, Zero was standing before the door, taking off his zori. He was feeling somehow nervous even though this was the fifth night he was to serve after the hectic but completely wonderful opening night. Kaien had told him earlier that tonight Zero was going to serve to really important guests of him, so he should be extra careful and do the best of his best.

Zero put on his neutral mask and slided the shoji door and let himself in, without looking at the faces of his patrons.

"Good evening, I will be the one at your service tonight." He bowed slightly, waiting. But to his surprise, he met with silence. Tentatively, Zero raised his head and looked at his patrons' faces to see if there was something wrong.

There sat two blonds, one of whom had a wild shock of hair darker than the other's, and a brunette with longish wavy hair, all in their impeccable suits and looks, eying him as if there was something on his face. Zero panicked. For the first time since the opening, he was meeting with a reaction like this. He felt his cheeks color up and he bowed again to cover that.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Zero asked softly and for some reason he felt unable to do anything.

The weird atmosphere was dissipated by a wonderful laughter. It was the light blond haired male. "Well... Who would have thought that the best cook would also be such a beautiful lady." He lightly spoke, making Zero look up at his face in puzzlement.  _So, they didn't realize?_ Zero thought, inwardly relaxing and ignoring the comment about him being 'a beautiful lady'...

Takuma glanced at his friends' eyes which were still fixated on their server's person. Quickly understanding that he had to do something about it, he continued.

"Pardon my forwardness...um..."

"Kiryuu, sir." Zero supplied, deeming it fit to give his surname instead of his fake, stupid alias.

Kiryuu-san. Thanks for your efforts." Takuma smiled again and discreetly nudged Kain's and Kaname's knees under the table.

As if waking up from a stupor, Kain smiled crookedly and Kaname immediately reached for his sake cup to cover his obvious slip.

"How may I help you tonight?" Zero asked, trying his best to ignore the earlier stupefied expressions on his patrons' faces and act normal.

"Um... I would like to start with a yudofu." Takuma again was the one who spoke first, eying his menu. "You, Kaname?" He coaxed his friend to speak.

Kaname closed his menu and looked at Zero, face all of a sudden expressionless and serious.

"Will you prepare it before us, Kiryuu-san?" He questioned.

For a moment, Zero was nearly about to bite his lower lip, feeling overwhelmed under Kaname's gaze for no earthly reason.

"Ye.. Yes, sir." He stuttered, hoping the powder that Yuuki applied him tonight was enough to cover the color of his suddenly flustered cheeks. What was wrong with this... this Kaname person? His eyes were hard and sharp like a knife. "If you all chose it, I will cook it here."

"Alright." Kaname averted his gaze to Kain who was now watching him with a raised eyebrow. "If you too would like that, Kain?..." Kain nodded and turned his attention to Zero. "But I might want some additional things in it that are not listed in here."

Zero bowed his head slightly and told him that he would do his best, silently scolding himself to get a grip and not be intimidated by a couple of strange patrons.

"What would you like for the main course?" He asked, eyes trying to avoid Kaname's and seeking for Takuma's, since he seemed to be the most agreeable one among the rest. Takuma, realizing that their server was affected by the weird atmosphere, quipped in without much thinking about a good choice and asked for beef teriyaki. Zero nodded and glanced at Kain who was looking at the menu and he murmured that he wanted kitsune udon. That made Zero's eyes widen as he realized that all three were apparently going to choose different things which Zero was unsure if he could dish out at the same time.

Kaname gazed at the face of their server, his garnet eyes easily reading Zero's uneasiness and with a spike of need to antagonize him, he muttered his own choice. "I will have yose nabe." Zero's face paled.

Were these people doing it on purpose? There was no way he could dish out two hot pots and a grilled dish at the same time, with the same speed... He should have told the Chairman that all the diners of the partitions should be allowed to choose only one or two kinds of dishes in one sitting, because there was no way for him to do all of these and serve sake and prepare other side dishes all by himself.

"May I ask you sir if you want me to cook the teriyaki here, too?" He asked Takuma and hoped that he would notice the position that he was put by that Kaname person's request.

Kaname answered before his friend could, smiling for the first time that night. "If you aren't going to prepare it before us, what is the reason of us choosing here to dine, Miss?"

Zero paled even further. That smile was not meant to assure him but to nag him, this man was clearly mocking him... Chairman's important guests or not, no one had the right to torment a servicer like this.

"Then  _my good_   _sir_ , I will require some assistance from my staff, if you don't mind." He spoke to the smug looking Kaname with a slight challenge.  _I am not a clown that you can ridicule, you pampered rich boy..._

Kaname raised one delicate eyebrow, seeing the rebellious glint in those silver eyes. He decided that he liked seeing it in them. "You are the head waitress?" He asked and received a polite nod. "Then, Kiryuu-san, we are waiting to see you and your staff's performances." He spoke softly, eyes drinking in the elegant sight that their servicer presented.

Zero bowed and let himself out, his face immediately contorting into a vivid display of fury. The nerve that man had! Was he doing it because his cover was blown? This was the first time that his diners treated him like this, as if he was not a performer but a mere servant. That air headed Chairman was surely entitled to get an earful. That person, Kaname, was purposefully rude. It was as if Kaname was trying to see if he deserved the title of being the best cook here as the blond, Takuma, said when he entered.

 _Well..._  Zero thought, eyes narrowed down, feet rushing to the kitchen area to place his orders.  _I will show him what I am made of!_

As Zero was rushing around to find Cross to inform him that he needed some extra hands, the trio was snacking and drinking.

"Had I known that she would be troubled by my request, I would have gone with one of your choices to ease her work." Takuma distractedly played with a skewered delicacy.

"Don't you see, Takuma? It was Kaname's intention from the start to trouble her..." Kain sipped his cool drink and leaned back.

"Kaname?" Takuma turned to his friend with a questioning look on his face which turned to playful disapproval when he saw the satisfied half smile on Kaname's lips. "You are either too hungry or too bored tonight, Kaname..." He shook his head.

Kaname shrugged a shoulder with a soft look in his eyes. "Isn't it natural for me to test the so-called best servicer of my restaurant, gentlemen?"

Kain laughed. "So that's why you simply look amused whenever I call you the 'Cruel Mr. President'..." Kaname gave his friend a mockingly warning look. "Best cook or not, at least she is a real feast for the eyes." Kain continued with a devilish smile.

"Kain..." Takuma lowly berated him. "Please be discreet, okay? And she is Kaname's test subject tonight, so leave her alone..." He added as an innocent gibe, not actually meaning his words.

Kain stopped smiling and looked at his two friends with apparent shock. When Kaname didn't refute Takuma's playful claim and remained amused, Kain pointed at his friend with wonder in his eyes.

"Oi, Takuma... He is serious."

Takuma, too, leaned in and took a glance at Kaname's face with unbelieving eyes. "I just meant it as a joke, Kaname. Please let this evening end without a major scene." He tried but Kaname arched an elegant eyebrow and simply shrugged.

His lips quirking up with a half, devilish smile, he murmured lowly. "Well, I can't promise for anything."

Takuma closed his eyes... "Here we go again..."

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter starts right from where we were in the last chapter._

* * *

Already shaken off the strange feeling he got in the private partition, Zero rushed back with determination to do his best. Taking a deep breath, he announced his entry and with a plate full of his yudofu ingredients and a ceramic bowl, he took his seat and apologized for making them wait. Without losing time, he heated one of the in-built stoves and with a bowed head, he started his preparations.

As the other two occupants of the table were immersed in a talk among themselves, Kaname chose to watch Zero prepare the first course of the night. Tonight, Zero was wearing a deep purple colored kimono, and his obi was a golden one, gently wrapping around his middle with colorful cords hanging from his sides. The motif of the kimono was the same, cranes taking flight before a mountainous scenery. But somehow, he looked really different from the rest of the staff with that striking lilac eyes of his and his silvery hair, adorned with a lush, white rose. Zero had been wearing extensions since the opening night and long strands of silver hair were coming down from the loose bun on his nape.

Kaname certainly thought that there was something very different about Zero, but he didn't even realize that he was indeed a male. Sure, Zero's voice was a little low and rich to belong to a female and he was really tall compared to the average girls Kaname saw around, but that was all. Kaname was clearly intrigued by him, but not because of the reason Zero feared of.

He watched Zero put the ceramic bowl on the stove, green konbu already soaked in it. His pale long hands were chopping the blocks of silk tofu with expertise whilst he waited for the water to boil. Zero heated up the other stove next to him, on which a sheet metal was built and poured some soy oil on the grill and dumped half of the cut tofu to fry them. Kaname raised an eyebrow.

"I have never heard of fried tofu in a yudofu, Kiryuu-san." He commented. Zero raised his head to look at the owner of the deep voice and found Kaname skeptically surveying his work.

"I am sure you'll like it, sir." He murmured with a neutral tone.

"It is Kuran." Kaname quipped calmly, continuing his observation. "I will add the fried bits first, Kuran-san." Zero went on, hands deftly frying the tofu on the one side, while he prepared the main sauce on the other. "By the time I add the raw tofu, the fried ones will be softened a bit, but still seem meaty on the tongue."

For a stronger flavor, Zero decided to make niban-dashi, using the already ready-to-use dashi that he brought along. Putting another small bowl on the stove, he poured his dashi mix in it and added a piece of kelp and some bonito flakes and let it reach to a boiling level. He took out his fried tofu and put them into the main soup. When they simmered enough, he added the raw tofu and took his dashi pot from the stove.

The dashi stock was ready in less then ten seconds thanks to Zero's quick and sure movements and truth be told, Kaname was amazed. He had never seen such sure elegance in a female cook.

"How long have you been a cook?" He asked Zero. Zero looked up from his work, even though his hands were still busy with mixing the dipping sauce on the stove. There was a pleasant look in Kaname's eyes and it stole Zero's attention for a moment. The brunette's eyes were soulful and calm but Zero refused to believe that they were sincere.

"For as long as I remember, I have been cooking, Kuran-san." His reply drew the others' attention, too.

"You are a young person, how long could it possibly be?" Kain asked.

Zero heated together some soy sauce, sweet sake and the dashi he had made and turned off the stove. "I have been earning my living doing this job since I was five." He added. That made her patrons raise their eyebrows at him in astonishment. But it was true. Zero had worked in the orphanage's cafeterias for money since the time he knew he could hold a knife without cutting himself.

"So you are a hard worker..." Kaname commented, eyes languidly following Zero's every movement as he poured the soup into three bowls, shared the dipping sauce in small ceramic cups. Zero's eyes flitted to Kaname's face and he thought he saw an appraising gleam in his eyes for a moment.

"Well, let's see if your hard work is also delicious." The brunette urged Zero to make his service.

With slightly shaking hands, Zero passed the bowls, topped with bonito flakes and chopped scallions. He placed the dipping sauces near them and asked Kain if he wanted something different in his soup before he handed him his service.

"Please add my bowl some grated radish instead of those flake things."

"You sure have weird tastes, Kain." Takuma smiled and took a tofu from his bowl and dipped it into the warm sauce. Zero prepared Kain's order and quickly went for filling the sake cups behind his patron's seating as they began to ate.

Kaname wasn't even hearing them, he was openly gazing at the neckline of Zero as the latter bent slightly forward to fill his cup.

It was so pale and smooth looking, brushed lightly by those silky looking silver strands and adorned with the leaves of the rose in his hair.  _She_  smelled good, too... Like... lilacs.

Eyes widening, Kaname immediately reached for his sake cup and drunk a huge gulp from it, the rich taste of the chilled sake burning his throat. Zero, realizing that Kaname's cup needed to be filled again, turned back and sat beside the brunette to fill his cup, unaware that Kaname hadn't even tasted his soup but been single-mindedly watching him.

Catching himself in the middle of something he had never done before, Kaname furrowed his brows and waved his hand to indicate Zero to leave it. With wide eyes that clearly betrayed his confusion against Kaname's reaction, Zero stood up and went to his place, wondering what was wrong this time. Shaking his head slightly at himself, he decorated the table with the accompanying small cold dishes and waited for his patrons' first comments before he left for the ingredients of the main course.

Kain clearly expressed his delight and asked Zero to leave the chilled sake on the table before he left. Takuma told him that he especially liked the fried tofu bits in it and praised the strong flavor of his sauce that went well with the cold sake. Kaname didn't even raise his head or look at him. He simply nodded and declared with a sour face that it was alright.

Zero bowed his head slightly and thanked them, all the while gritting his teeth and forcing himself to smile. He collected the used dishes and put the sake down near Kain's side, leaving the room with a pain in his chest.  _What did I do wrong this time?_

Was Kaname purposefully being difficult or was there really a problem with his soup? Or maybe he wasn't being polite enough... Was he talking a lot or were his comments boring? Maybe he wasn't making small talk enough...

Zero bit on his lip in agitation. He had never felt like this before. Of course, in the past he had dealt with many fastidious patrons who were even ready to start a fight. He had never taken it upon himself personally if the food he presented was criticized or not liked. But this was different. Even though some of the ingredients he used were the ready-to-use kind, it was he who cooked them and turned them into a proper meal. Why he had to feel personally offended just because a simple soup wasn't well received? He didn't know.

As he was rushing back with Kaname's and Kain's orders, he ran into Yuuki who was returning with an empty silver tray. He was told that Shiki and Aido were going to help him as their rooms had no reservations tonight. Zero realized that Yuuki was also serving around the regular area. Was he the only person getting tormented tonight? He thanked her and rushed back.

Entering the private area again, Zero found the trio engaged in to a quiet chat meanwhile they continued with their soup and starters. Without losing time, Zero heated up two stoves and placed one ceramic bowl over one of them and a skillet over the one closer to Kaname. He was at least going to start with Kain's and Kaname's orders before Aido and Shiki came to his aid.

"Kiryuu-san." It was Kaname again.

Zero raised his head and saw that at least the sour look was now gone from the brunette's eyes. "Yes, Kuran-san?"

"Can you make the main dishes enough to serve us all? I also want to taste udon and beef teriyaki." Zero looked at him like a deer caught in the head lights. Yes, Kaname was being difficult intentionally and very much enjoying it. Was there a challenging gleam in his garnet eyes, too? Yes... The brunette was trying to rile him up. But Zero was no child.

"Of course, Kuran-san." He pointedly ignored the brunette male by turning to the other two who were watching their friend with somehow uneasy looks and asked them if they would also like to have a taste of yose nabe. The blonds numbly nodded their heads and Zero smiled. Guessing something like this might happen, Zero had already brought the ingredients enough for three.

"I will start with Kuran-san and Kain-san's orders and another server will shortly bring in your order, sir." Zero bowed at Takuma.

"It is Takuma, Kiryuu-san. And it is alright, don't worry." Takuma beamed. Zero thought that this blond was really a good and likable guy compared to the brunette demon sitting beside him. Without ado, he turned to his task and filled both of the pots using the leftover dashi from the soup, since he had made lots of it just for this reason. Leaving the bowls to boil, he made a generous mix from sweet sake, sugar, and soy sauce for the udon and poured it into the dashi in the ceramic bowl. Turning to the skillet, he did the same, replacing the sugar with salt and also adding acidic sake to the mix.

Though he was still talking with his friends, Kaname's focus was on Zero and he was getting agitated just because of the simple ease with which the silver haired server was dividing his attention. Zero wasn't even listening to them, they were talking about some stock exchange related business junk, but he was aware of Kaname's eyes on him. How could someone, who had seemed like an amiable person at the first sight, be this much intimidating?

Just as he began to feel uneasy due to the intense garnet gaze that dissected him, he heard Aido's voice and raising his head, he smiled softly and brilliantly without even knowing. Kaname felt his lips part at the sight in awe, forgetting even what he was planning to say as an answer to one of Takuma's questions. What was happening to him? He frowned, immediately averting his narrowed down eyes.

With his soft but cheerful voice Aido entered, Shiki tagging behind him, their arms full with teriyaki and salad ingredients that Zero had ordered before. At last, the focus of the patrons diverted from Zero and he took a relaxed breath. He opened room for his friends, nodding at them and telling Aido that he was to make udon with the already boiling broth and Shiki was to prepare the teriyaki on the sheet metal stove near him.

"Make them all enough for three persons, okay?" Zero asked with a purposefully hushed voice, mindful of not using neither their aliases nor their actual names. They nodded their heads and started their work.

Handing him the deep fried tofu pieces and the sauce that Aido was going to use for making his udon, Zero concentrated on his own work. Finally, his skillet was boiling, too. Zero poured some of his mix in the skillet and started adding six generous pieces of salmon and six clams in it, leaving them to simmer a bit before he would add the other things. Meanwhile, Aido was boiling the tofu to get rid of the excess oil from them and Shiki was making the teriyaki sauce as he fried six medium sized pieces of fat-less sirloin beef, already marinated with sauce.

Their patrons ceased all small talk and watched them with rapt attention. Their performers were so quick with their hands, all minding their business. But Zero, who was obviously the most experienced one there, was handing them anything they might need even before the other two asked for them, all the while doing his own job.

"You work in such a tandem that one might actually think that you have been cooking together even before getting a job here." Takuma observed. Zero smiled at him softly, with precise order he was adding the other things, waiting for them to simmer according to a clock in his head. And during those time intervals, he busied himself by making several kinds of salads.

"That's right, sir. We can prepare different things as we mind what the other is also doing." Shiki provided calmly. He started to boil his mix made of sake, sweet sake, brown sugar and ginger juice, adding a bit of corn starch. His beefs were nearly done. "Would you prefer them overdone or medium rare, sir?" He asked, his maroon bangs covering his one eye, thanks to the way Yuuki brushed them.

Takuma was obviously enjoying what he was seeing and he wasn't even hiding it, there was a kind smile on his face as he uttered a subdued "All medium rare, please..." Shiki continued with pouring the ready sauce on the frying pieces of meat, unaware that Takuma's soft green eyes were observing him with a gentle expression in them.

Aido dried his tofu and got up to get more noodles from the shelves to add the sum Zero had ordered before, since it wasn't enough for three. When he returned, he asked Kain if he would like any other thing in his udon. Kain leaned forward, one elbow placed on his knee, chin resting on his hand with a strange gleam in his eyes. "Would you recommend something to me, Miss?" He drawled with a lazy lift of his lips.

Aido stilled for a few seconds by the look he encountered in the fiery blond's eyes.  _What the hell?_ An eyebrow twitching, Aido smiled nervously. "Maybe some soy beans or fried mushrooms and carrot or onion rings?" He offered.

Kain's smirk widened upon the effect he caused on Aido. "Why not you put all of them?" He asked with his deep voice, making Aido cringe and Zero to look up at him. If the devilish intention written on this Kain person's face was any indication, he was clearly trying to flirt with Aido. How fantastic... These young men were certainly a weird bunch and Zero's displeasure slipped off his neutral mask slightly.

"Is anything the matter, Kiryuu-san?" Kaname asked with an amused face. Caught unawares, Zero immediately schooled his expression and added the final ingredients to his skillet, which were shiitakes and enoki mushrooms. "No, sir." He murmured, facing Kaname's luminous eyes.

But Kaname was no fool, he clearly had seen the disapproval shown on Zero's face when Kain inevitably acted himself. Obviously, these three were friends and Zero was the one who felt himself responsible of them. Though Kaname looked amused by the display of emotions on his silver haired server's delicate face, he also secretly accepted that he esteemed Zero's thoughtfulness towards the other workers, friends or not.

"It will be ready in a few minutes, would you all like to start with nabe?" Zero turned to Kaname and received a silent nod. He decorated two bowls of rice with the seaweed cucumber salad and one bowl with a radish carrot salad and served them, giving the last one to Kain. On the table, he set pickled plums and served hot sake that he heated under his stove and started to serve the nabe.

The patrons, each receiving a plate of salmon, cabbage, mushrooms all decorated with parsley and chrysanthemum greens, started their meal again. Immediately, Kain's and Takuma's faces brightened up, showing their delight.

"Oh, this is cooked just perfectly, Kiryuu-san!" Takuma's face was shining with a big smile. Zero felt elated. Kain took a bite from his specially made salad and grinned. "Hmm... Radish goes well with salmon, too..." He muttered, pleased for getting special treatment.

Kaname silently took small bites from his nabe, rice and cucumber salad, imbibing a small sip from his hot, strong sake with a serious face. He turned to Zero, who was watching him with pride in his eyes.

"Do you think nabe is made like this?" He asked to his server sternly. Zero's face immediately fell, lilac eyes widening. _What?_ Fumbling for words, he muttered with slight trepidation. "Is it not good, Kuran-san?"

Kaname narrowed down his eyes, the room silencing at once. Takuma and Kain were gazing at him with wide eyes. "Kaname, this is wonderful... The salads, the seafood... What is wrong?" Kain asked.

"Hand me a new set of chopsticks." Kaname ordered to a blanching Zero. Shiki, who was closer to the drawers under the stoves, handed Zero a new set on a napkin. Zero passed them to Kaname with a slightly trembling hand.

Distracted by the small patch of skin revealed when Zero's sleeve fell back, Kaname grabbed the chopsticks and took a small mushroom and cabbage piece with it from his bowl and stretched his arm to Zero.

"Here, taste it and see yourself." He demanded with a low voice. Zero stilled, unable to understand the situation fully. Kaname was trying to feed something to him from his own bowl? He could very well have ordered him to take a serving for himself from the skillet.

"Eat this." Kaname insisted, face a complete mask of displeasure and fury.

Shiki was observing the situation with calm yet hardened eyes, Aido with open shock and anger. Zero did what was the best thing to do and he leaned in, rising on his knees, gracefully stretching his pale neck, long hair bits thumbling over his shoulders and a napkined-hand raising up to catch any stray drops of sauce from falling on the floor. With an inward satisfaction, Kaname watched the scene he presented. Zero was a like swan, caught and subdued with those worry filled, bright eyes of his. Feeding him, Kaname kept his dark eyes on the parting lush lips, with the hunger and attention of a hawk.

But Zero was too troubled to realize the way he was being eyed. He accepted the morsel, hating the every millisecond of it, and returned to his earlier position, chewing slowly.

What was this man talking about? It tasted delicious... The sauce was perfect, the chunks of vegetables were cooked just the right way.

Bewilderment clearly written in his eyes, he faced his patron. "Sir, I really don't understand..." He muttered. Kaname sighed exasperatedly and his face suddenly softened in an amused disappointment. "A cook who can't even tell what is wrong with her meal... Really Kiryuu-san, nabe is a simple dish but can both be delicious and horrible according to the one who cooks it, just as any other meal..." He shrugged elegantly, putting down his bowl and the used chopsticks by his side. "This certainly isn't horrible but it lacks a personal touch... And I am disappointed with the result."

"Kaname..." Takuma started. "That was harsh... This is certainly wonderful, cooked just the right amount and goes so well with the sake's flavor and the salads..."

"That's your taste, this is mine... It is as simple as that." Kaname opted for drinking his sake and eating his rice and salad. But Zero wasn't listening to him. He was fisting his hands on his lap and biting his lower lip, head bowed. The Chairman was right... He, too, was unable to detach himself from his work and took every comment on a personal level... He felt insulted.

"The teriyaki is ready, sir... If you like, I can service it for you." Shiki intervened and drew the attention to himself, trying to give Zero the time to collect himself.

"Serve it." Kaname nodded, his gaze lingering on Zero, waiting patiently for him to say or do something. True to his expectation, Zero raised his face and demanded the others to leave room in their stomachs to get another taste of his nabe. Bowing slightly, he excused himself and left the room.

Immediately after his leave, Kain furrowed his brows at his friend who was now eating teriyaki with a calm and guiltless face as if he hadn't just been cruel to some clueless worker for no reason. He turned his attention to something much more pleasent and entertainting, Aido, who was cutting pink and white skinned fish cake slices with a sour look on his face.

"Don't you think a dish prepared with such a look on your face would also taste sour, Miss?" He asked, trying to brighten up the mood. Aido startled and he was nearly cutting his finger. "Oh, easy... There is no hurry." Kain drawled with a smile.

Without knowing what to say, Aido apologized and looked up at Kain to find the same flirtatious glint in his brownish eyes. He gripped the knife in his hand harder and imagined himself cutting that grin off of his patron's lips. But it was Shiki, who spoke in his place, meticulously slicing the meat and decorating it with sauce. "Kiryuu-san will certainly find a way to make it suitable to your palate, too, Kuran- _san_." The  _-san_  part was obviously added as a gibe. "We are here to please your tastes and meet your standards... So, if you think that she has run away, you are mistaken... Please be patient with her and us."

Kaname hummed with an arched eyebrow and regarded Shiki. "From whom did you learn to make teriyaki, Miss?" He asked, taking a bite from Shiki's dish. "From Kiryuu-san." Shiki answered truthfully. "It certainly shows..." Kaname smiled deprecatingly.

Takuma sighed and leaned into his side for a moment of privacy. "Aren't you going too far, Kaname? This is so unlike you..." When he leaned back, he saw a mischievous tint in those garnet eyes, that spoke of something only Takuma could understand. "Fine... Do as you wish." The blond relented.

Shiki and Aido served their meals in silence and when Zero came in, he told them that if they had finished with their work they could go and aid the rest. Though neither Aido, nor Shiki wanted to leave their friend like that, their job was done and they knew that Zero could handle the rest. With slight bows the duo left the room, bidding a good evening to the diners.

"They could have stayed, Kiryuu-san, it was fun to see different faces." Kain sighed, already missing the blond haired, red kimono clad beauty that served to him. "And I couldn't even praise her for this delicious udon, such a pity..."

"You can relate her your compliments when they serve your deserts, Kain-san." Zero quipped, composed and neutral looking again.

"Ah, that would be very fine..." Kain nodded.

Zero checked his stove. The skillet was still hot, resting at a very low temperature, but the greenery was already lifeless and bad looking. He took them out, and left the rest. The occupants of the room were talking among themselves again, Kaname occasionally asking him to give this or that and Zero silently complying.  _I won't let this rest... I'll show him..._  Zero was fuming inside.

He started to prepare some sauce with the things he brought, even though nabe was not eaten with a dipping. In a few minutes' time he prepared three different mixes. Since he guessed that Kaname was someone who preferred mild and strong tastes, he made one sweet, one sour and one spicy mix. Using sweet sake, sesame oil, mushed pickled plums and ginger in the sweet one; using apple and rice vinegar, juice of cooked bonito flakes, lemon and garlic essence with a dash of cold acidic sake in the sour one... He meticulously prepared the third by cutting fresh mustard, leek, parsley and cress and then squeezing their juices into a bowl. He added a small dash of wasabi and soy sauce with a pinch of salt and mixed them all.

"Nabe can't be eaten with dipping sauces, Kiryuu-san..." Kaname spoke with that irritating languidness of his.

"Why not, sir? Is there a written law for how to eat one's nabe?" Zero challenged back. "I think you should give them a try... This time you won't be disappointed." He forced a smile laced with conviction.

"Alright... Serve then..." Kaname smiled back, but Zero felt cold to his core upon seeing it. He served new plates, distributed everything equally and put his sauces in three partitioned dipping saucers, replenishing the sake cups with chilled sake this time. Zero sat back and waited.

"Please try the clams and salmons with the green sauce. The mushrooms should go well with the sweet and clear one. The other vegetables might go well with the sour one. Ah, and also try them with the salads this time, please..." Zero coaxed and observed them doing as he told.

"Wow..." Kain looked at him with bewilderment. "I have never tasted sauces like these... The nabe was good before, but with these, it is simply fantastic..." And he made a thumbs up gesture to amuse Zero, receiving a bow of thanks.

Takuma was openly humming in delight. "Kiryuu-san... Thanks for your efforts. This is the most unusual way to eat nabe but the most delicious one..." Zero sighed inwardly before turning to Kaname.

Kaname tasted them all, took a sip from his sake and gazed down at his expectant server. "Well... Certainly, I have never seen anything like this green sauce. It goes well with the sea food. But..." He drew a hand through his dark locks and averted his eyes on the table. "I think amending for a poor taste in the nabe with some unheard of sauces which in fact should not be serviced with this dish is a cheap trick."

Zero sat with parted lips, shock written all over his face. For a moment, he simply looked at Kaname with a stupefied expression, eyes completely absorbed by the garnet eyes of his patron. With trembling lips he tried to smile and bowed his head a bit. "I am sorry to disappoint, sir." He murmured, swallowing a lump in his throat, mind at a loss.

"Look at my face." Kaname demanded. And Zero raised his head with a dazed expression upon the tone and the choice of words Kaname used. "You can improve, so, work harder..." Kaname said, but his face told otherwise. Zero was understanding something completely different.  _You call yourself the head-waitress? Such a pity and disappointment..._

"Yes, Kuran-san..." He whispered. He didn't want to hear more. "Um... May I take your desert orders? The dance show is about to start..."

They gave their orders and Zero told them that in fifteen minutes he was to return with their deserts. He left with sagged shoulders and laden feet.

Kaname turned to his meal and hummed appreciatively as he ate Zero's dish, dipping the morsels in the sauces and rolling them on his tongue with apparent bliss etched on his features. His friends watched him with astonished looks, jaws open.

"You did everything on purpose, didn't you?" Takuma gasped. "You loved the meal yet turned to her and acted as if you hated it!" Kaname laughed softly. "Why, of course." Was all his reply before he took a few more quick bites from the salad and vegetables.

Even Kain was shocked. "Kaname, that girl might be crying now. Even I wouldn't force such a beautiful girl's face to show those emotions... What you did was really wrong on so many levels..."

Just then the rhythm of the drums and the flutes was heard and the lit garden became a stage for the dancers, wearing traditional costumes. Unashamedly enjoying his meal, Kaname sighed contendently and watched the Mai performers, a wistful look in his eyes. "If she is crying now, she certainly doesn't deserve to be the head waitress of a place like this. But I think she is not the crying type..." He murmured between his morsels. "She is the type to exact revenge." Was there an eager and evil gleam in his eyes?

Kain and Aido shook their heads at him and resumed their eating. "I wish she would have seen the way how you are wolfing down her dishes now." Takuma sighed.

Kaname smiled enigmatically and sipped his sake. "That was whole point of this, Takuma... Believe me..."

* * *

 

Aido and Shiki returned to serve the deserts and Zero poured them sweet plum wine to complement the taste. The rest of the evening went by calmly and Zero saw off his patrons. Kaname was the last one to leave the room, paying the bill in cash that he stuffed into the leather booklet. He stood before a bowing Zero, eyes involuntarily drawn to the bared long neck that was shown from his kimono's neckline. To distract himself from the sensuous sight, he whispered to Zero.

"I am glad that your eyes aren't red or swollen." He chuckled lowly in his throat. "I hope you'll still be around, Kiryuu-san, when I revisit here the next time." The soft velvety tone of that voice along with the taunting words made Zero flush and he found himself unable to look Kaname in the eyes when he straightened up. He simply stood there, an empty feeling filling his chest.

And with a smile that quickly dissipated, Kaname left.

* * *

 

Totally defeated, Zero collected the used dishes, stashing them up on the small food cart outside and called a waiting hand to take the cart back to the kitchens. Sure, he felt like a failure and angry with both himself and Kaname but, the brunette planted some disturbing questions in his head and Zero wasn't even looking around whilst he walked to the service staff area to catch his breath and collect himself a bit.

There he found himself alone with a person whom he was aware of her constant scrutiny and displeasure since the time they started their training.

"Oh, Rose-san..." The girl was named Ruka, a stunning private room server with long dirty blond hair and brownish eyes. "I guess you are here to take a break after the disaster you made of yourself..."

Zero halted in his steps and faced the very pleased and smug looking girl with surprise. Ruka sauntered her way to him in her blue kimono, throwing her hair behind her shoulder.

"Disaster?" He asked, eyes turning to slits.  _Where does she..._  Ruka shrugged. "What would you call it? I saw your face every time you left your partition... And let me tell you, I also overheard some of the things that your green eyed patron told to Cross-san."

 _Takuma..._  Zero felt his eyes widen. "What have you heard?" Ruka smirked and then her face turned serious. "Hm... Things like how Kuran-san made you do this and that and how he was not pleased with the result." Takuma didn't seem like a person who would do this, but Zero didn't care, he was already ready to go and talk to the Chairman about it nonetheless.

"Whatever..." He muttered. "I was just about to tell the Chairman the result anyway." He didn't like this Ruka girl and didn't want to talk to her about this.

Ruka raised her eyebrows and laughed incredulously. "You say  _whatever_?! You really have the nerve, Roze-san... Kuran Kaname is the second shareholder of this restaurant and owner of this hotel who is a very rich and well known young man... You displease him and then just say  _whatever_?"

Zero's lilac orbs widened upon the things she was saying. That brunette owned this place? It was obvious that he was someone important and rich from the royal way he held himself and from the egoistical way he talked. But this was certainly bad news... How the hell did he manage to dig his own grave this easily in a few hours?

"Ah, I see you didn't know it before..." Ruka chuckled, clearly satisfied by the way how she broke Zero apart. "Well... I won't be a hypocritical person, so I'll tell you this clearly. I don't think you deserve to be the head waitress... I am sure I can cook better than you do. So, now that we have learned there is nothing special about you, you can be assured that that partition will be mine."

Zero gazed at Ruka with a bewildered expression. This girl was challenging him? Pushing aside the thoughts of the situation he was, he covered his agitation with anger. His brows furrowed and he grunted. "Thanks for clearly stating the place you stand, Souen-san. I will be mindful of this in the future." He hissed. Zero's fury and icy cold countenance didn't even deter Ruka as she shrugged one narrow shoulder and walked past him. "Well... If you can magane to still be here at the end of the week, Roze-san... Then of course, we can see what you'll do about it." And she left the room.

Zero gazed emptily across the sitting area, hands clasped before him, eyes full of worry. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to lose it all just because he couldn't please the restaurant's owner? Were all these torment, self deprecation and stupid farce for nothing? How... How was he going to pay for Ichiru's medical expenses after losing so much time here?

Zero's hands fisted his kimono's front, eyes shimmering with hopelessness.

_Ichiru..._

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 

It was around three in the morning and Yuuki, Zero, Aido and Shiki were all in the kitchen. Yuuki had forced Zero to talk about what happened that night after she had seen how agitated Zero was looking. She had pried half of the story from Aido's and Shiki's mouths during their train ride back but Zero hadn't said anything. He had been simply ignoring his friends as Aido described Zero's quirky patrons, especially the brunette one, Kaname, and how he had simply lied about the taste of the dish Zero had prepared. For them, there was no way for something that Zero cooked to taste that bad to be criticized so harshly.

Yuuki crossed her arms over her bosom and pursed her lips, closing her eyes. "That stinker, what was his name again, must be walking around with his nose high in the clouds all the time. So, I don't think that being unable to please a conceited, saucy little rich boy is worthy enough to demoralize you, Zero. Who is he to talk in such a manner anyway? Hmph!"

But Yuuki's words certainly didn't help with the headache Zero was having now. He hadn't told them yet who that Kuran Kaname was.

"Zero~." Yuuki tried to get the downcast young man's attention with a berating tone. Zero turned his eyes to see a scowling Yuuki. Aido and Shiki were also watching him with knowing eyes that Zero knew he could not escape from the silent question that they bore.  _Is there something else that you don't tell us?_

"Fine." The silver haired boy gave up. "Kuran Kaname is the other shareholder of the restaurant who also owns the hotel, and apparently he is such a picky and pompous bastard that he could easily kick me out of there with a flick of his tongue."

All three occupants of the table gasped in unison, even Shiki.  _So, they didn't know it, too._  Zero smiled ruefully upon the shocked expressions of his friends. "I have the best kind of luck, don't I?" His smile cracked down from his lips.

"That brunette is the owner?" Yuuki repeated in stupefied shock. "Were you aware of it, Zero?" Shiki asked. Suddenly, the air in the small kitchen was filled with tension. Zero shook his head. "The Chairman only told me that those men were his important guests and I should be extra careful. That's all."

"Then..." Aido started, "How do you know who Kuran is? Did the Chairman..." Zero drew his hand through his silver bangs and interrupted Aido. "No, I didn't talk to him. That Souen girl was the one who told me about Kuran."

"Ruka? Why would she know about tonight?" It was Aido again. The blond felt a sudden spike of fury upon the girl's name, because she was the one who made an objection to the results when they drew lots to determine who was to get which private section. Aido could still remember the passionate way she had talked to the Chairman about how she should be the one taking Aido's section since she was the second best servicer there.

"She says she has seen my face every time I exited the master room, Aido. On top of all, she claims she has overheard what Takuma, that green eyed blond, told to Cross-san about me and Kuran." Zero supplied his worried friends with a look of clear restlessness.

"This is bad..." Yuuki bit her lower lip, finally seeing the event from Zero's point of view. "But what was that witch doing around there, your room?"

Zero sagged his shoulders, eyebrows rising as he tried to alleviate his depressed thoughts with a deep sigh. "Well, Souen wants the master room for herself. And apparently she believes that tonight proved that I am no better than her." He covered his eyes with a hand and leaned on his elbow, coffee long forgotten on the table. "She came and bluntly said that she wants to be the head waitress and I am not worthy of the title."

Silence settled again in the room. Yuuki was fisting her small hands on the table with a murderous intent on her face. "Fine, she can get that title if she wants it that much!" She hissed. "Everyone there knows how good a performer you are and how well you manage the staff under you. She can't even be the mat under your feet." But somehow her words caused the worry in Zero's face deepen. Yuuki felt crushed under that expression, her eyes quickly watering.

"Zero..." She tried. She knew that if Zero was showing this much emotion on his face then it was clear that there was a tempest in the boy's mind or heart and he wasn't able to deter it from reflecting in his amethyst eyes.

"Can't you see, Yuuki? What Zero is thinking now isn't whether that stupid Ruka gets the master room or not..." Aido mumbled, his face pale.

"Forget about the damn title, Yuuki. That girl said I may not be there at the end of the week." Zero clarified with a withdrawn tone, turning Yuuki's face hopeless along with his own.

"This is so unlike you, Zero." It was Shiki who drew the attention away from the depressing subject. Zero turned to his calm friend with a question in his eyes. Shiki leaned back. "The you that I know wouldn't think such things... He would be angry now, but not feel defeated just because of a leery high-hat's whims..."

"Yes, Zero... We were there with you... We have seen the amount of tips you got from your earlier diners. Nearly all the partitions have been empty but you are the one whose room is always full. A few nights ago you even got three groups of patrons in a row..." Aido supported Shiki with firm conviction in his bright eyes.

"Don't doubt yourself, Zero." Shiki nodded at him. "Unless Kuran Kaname clearly expresses his dissatisfaction about you to the Chairman, there is nothing to worry here."

Yuuki smiled at it immediately. "Of course!" Her face turned determined. "Even then, there is the Chairman... He has a say in this, too... Also, apart from that Ruka witch, the rest of the staff likes you, Zero... You have memorized every girls' name in a night and they feel respected and acknowledged as individuals. Anyone would want somebody like you in their establishment. This is not the sole place for us to work..."

"Hah!" Aido waved his hand. "After working at such a place, I bet anyone would get us... All we would lose is the time wasted there for learning how to be  _refined ladies of elegance and beauty_..." He mimicked Kaien's voice and exaggerated hand movements. Shiki nodded. "I don't believe that you'll lose this job for such a frivolous thing, Zero, but if it comes to that, we won't stay there, too. That would be meaningless and extremely boring."

Yuuki giggled at Shiki's show of 'bored out of his skull' expression and stood up, collecting the coffee cups. "Good money or not... If a place doesn't value its workers' efforts, I won't stay there, either."

"Whatever..." Aido stood up, too, going for the fridge. "Those kimonos are a pain to wear... And I hated the way I was ogled tonight by that Kain person... Acting like a girl is a degrading job, but that shit-eating grin of his was really infuriating..."

The trio started to talk among themselves, Zero gazing at them with widened eyes, unable to speak. How could he not love these people? They not only bolstered him up out of his depressed mode, but were also ready to follow him out of that restaurant's door if the place kicked him out. And with such sincerity, with such adherence... They were too selfless for their own good and Zero would hate himself if it came to the worse and they would quit their jobs just because of him. He wouldn't have that...

Degrading or not, ridiculous or not... He knew that with the money they would earn Shiki, Aido and Yuuki could all be able to pay their tuition fees next year and pick up their courses from they left whilst living a relatively easier life than before. Zero would never hinder them from achieving that. Shiki was right... He should feel angry, now, not disappointed with himself. He would do his best to stay at The Imperial and show that Kuran that he could be better, he could be stronger. Running away, his tail between his legs was not an option to him, not after enduring the humiliation and stress that he went through.

He was sure that that pretty boy would show up in the restaurant again, after all, he was the owner. And when that happened, Zero would certainly be there to look him in the eyes... He would make it. Yuuki wasn't calling him  _bullheaded_  for no reason.

He stood up, one hand taking support from Shiki's shoulder, squeezing it in silent gratitude.

"Aido, Yuuki..." Zero started, urging them turn to him and listen. His hand still on Shiki's shoulder, Zero continued, gazing at his dear friends' faces, taking courage from them. "I can't accept this." He stated firmly. "I can't simply keep silent when you guys tell me that you can this much easily follow me to anywhere, anytime..."

"But, Zero..." Yuuki tried to interrupt him with sudden worry on her face. "No, Yuuki... You have got dreams to follow... not me and my troubles... So, I'll make sure that I will stay there. No matter what, even though I hated tonight to my very bones, I have so much to lose. We all have... So, tomorrow, when we go to get our first payments, I will settle this." He watched as his friends' faces relax and smile at him.

"That's our Zero..." Aido smirked, his hands full with a packet of rice and some vegetables. Zero frowned at the things he was holding, suddenly changing the subject. "Whose turn is it to prepare tomorrow's dinner?"

"Me and Aido's!" Yuuki chirped, grabbing a plastic bowl to wash the vegetables in it.  _Time to show them your gratitude, Kiryuu..._ Zero smiled, feeling like himself again for the first time that night.

"Go and get some sleep. I can manage it." He spoke, leaving no room for further argument.

"But, Zero..." Aido started, yet the things in his hands were already taken by Zero. "No buts... I don't feel like sleeping, I need something to busy my mind with." Zero shrugged and opened the rice packet. "You all go to your beds before I change my mind."

They all relented and left him in the kitchen to his own thoughts after bidding him a good night.

Zero waved them off with a patronizing smile on his face, his eyes surveying the things he got on the small counter. "So, it will be miso soup and... Vegetable tempura with some salad..." And he forgot his worries in his work.

* * *

 

Kaname was idly playing with his food, eyes not seeing what was on his plate. He wasn't aware that Kain was watching him from the corner of his eye. The two of them were having their lunch somewhere neKain's workplace and apparently Takuma wasn't going to make it. Stuck together with the silent brunette, Kain settled for observing his friend's face as a form of entertainment. There was a melancholic expression on Kaname's face as if he was in deep thought, a thought not so pleasant as it seemed.

"So, has your conscience finally returned from the vacation it took last night?" Kain asked sarcastically.

That drew Kaname's attention and he looked at his friend with dazed and empty eyes, betraying the fact that he wasn't even listening to him. Kain smiled and stopped eating.

"Really, Mr. President... Were you even aware that I was here all this while?"

Eyebrows furrowed slightly, Kaname reached for his water, his face a picture of discontentment and boredom. "Sorry, Kain. What did you ask?" He murmured after taking a slow sip.

Kain simply shrugged. "I was saying that your conscience finally seems to catch up with you today. I guess it was either drunk or you simply forgot to bring it with you last night."

"Oh, that..." Kaname smiled to cover up his earlier distraction. "It was nothing. I was just thinking about the meeting of this afternoon. Do I seem like I care about last night?"

Kain observed his friend's light and nonchalant attitude, not fooled by it a bit. "Don't act like you feel totally fine about what you did to that girl, Kaname. I understand your motives and even though you might be cruel when it is due, you are not heartless."

"Hmm?" One of Kaname's eyebrow's arched and he relaxed against his chair. "Maybe you are giving too much credit to my heart..." He spoke evasively. Kain leaned back, too, smiling.

"Yeah, then you are thinking about a meeting with a look on your face that clearly reeks of infatuation and remorse... Girls would love to hear about that..." He laughed.

"Infatuation?" Kaname repeated lowly in his throat, suddenly his uneasiness readable over his fine features even though he immediately squashed it with apathy.

"Bingo!" Kain leaned in on his elbows. "Don't deny it, I saw how you looked at that poor girl when you fed her. Forgive me but, it very much seemed to me like you were eying her lips as if looking at a piece of strawberry cheese cake."

Kaname's eyes narrowed down and he felt a spike of sudden pleasure upon the memory Kain's words evoked. This was ridiculous... He wasn't a simple man who could be effected by only a pretty face and a patch of skin involuntarily and unknowingly shown... Especially in a girl whom he had never met before. And how could his friend be able to read that emotion when that silver haired server hadn't even noticed.

He smiled deprecatingly at Kain who was watching him with victory written on his features. "You think I was ogling her the way you do with any and every girl you meet? Kain, you miss the main point here."

But Kain shook his head, a lazy smile gracing his lips. "Not every girl, Kaname... Only the beautiful ones. But that's beside the point. What I say is that, you are effected by that girl. Accept this. No sane man would leave that place without at least marveling at her beauty and talent. And you are no exception, Mr. President."

Kaname listened to him, anger building deep inside. He suddenly felt furious but not with his friend, with himself. To suppress it from showing on his face, he murmured dangerously. "Kain... That girl is just a server. A woman without a future... And you belittle me by saying that I am interested in her after seeing her for only a few hours. I can't accept this."

Kain's face fell serious. He had never seen his friend using this tone of speech about a woman. Kaname usually wouldn't even utter a word about the women that came and went from his life, much less take offense from just talking about them. This was serious. Kaname was clearly effected and he was trying to hide it by deprecating the girl. Both last night and today...

"Since when has the social status of someone become a bother to spend a good night with a good woman?" He asked, changing tactics. And he immediately saw what he was looking for. Kaname sighed, his luminous eyes turning to slits and lips thinning in distaste.

"Look, Kain." He began. "She certainly was something, I accept this. But I am not interested in simple things. And she is a simple girl with a simple life who is probably sad by now because I didn't ask for her number. The so-called, refined and proper ladies around us think nothing but how thick or thin our wallets are. You can guess about what a girl like her might have thought when she understood that she couldn't please me with her efforts... And I certainly don't look for trouble. You can never know what her kind might do when they realize that they are nothing more than a means of having a good past-time with."

 _Now, that's cruel and heartlessly practical..._  Kain thought to himself. Impressed by the lengths Kaname went just in order to express himself, Kain furrowed his brows in silent contemplation. "Okay, I got it, no offense." He began, leaving the matter aside. "But you purposefully turned her night into a nightmare there... I think she at least deserves an amendment for the trouble you caused her. You can be a gentleman if nothing else."

Kaname chuckled at that, apparently finding the notion of playing the gentleman funny. Suddenly a mysterious glint hit his eyes and he took up his cutlery, his appetite returning him with the idea that invaded his mind. Kain rolled his eyes at his friend. "You have a plan, don't you?" He asked with playful disapproval.

Kaname shrugged. "For some reason I have a sudden craving for freshly made yakisoba and teppanyaki." He smiled, making Kain's face turn mockingly exasperated. "And what better way could there be to make a cook happy other than watching her patron's delighted face and hearing his compliments?"

A perfunctory smile etched itself to Kain's face and he raised an eyebrow, amused. "Yeah... How could there be?"

* * *

 

Next afternoon came quickly. Zero was the first one who got dressed, fixing his extensions in front of the mirror. Yuuki was still helping Aido to put make up on without turning it into a mess and Shiki was trying to comb his maroon hair to a side to create room for his hair pin.

Butterflies were dancing in Zero's stomach and his friends mindfully avoided asking him anything related to his imminent visit to the Chairman. It was a Friday again and the end of their first week as active workers of the restaurant. Tonight, a big group of patrons were expected and Zero was to serve them since his room was the biggest one. Zero wondered if that serving would be his last one here.

Refraining from sighing openly, he stood up and checked himself for the last time on the mirrors and turned to leave the room. Without a word, Zero exited the room, his friends sharing silent glances behind him as if they were assuring each other that everything would be fine.

There was half an hour to the restaurant's opening and as usual, Zero entered the Chairman's room just after the head of the chefs had left. Kaien would like to have a word with them before the opening, ask them if they were encountering any difficulties or if they had seen any problems in any of the staff that worked under them. He would give Zero the list of the booked tables and want him to assign the girls to other places if need arose.

Trying not to think too much about what was going to happen, Zero chose to stand while he waited for the Chairman to finish signing the papers before him.

Kaien looked up with a smile on his face and handed him the list of the night's reservations. "The others must be waiting for you Zero-kun..." Kaien started to talk, opening a drawer in his desk and taking out neatly arranged envelopes. "Here, please give these to the girls according to the names written on the envelopes."

Zero took them, knowing that these were the pay cheques of the staff. "Yours is in it, too." Kaien adjusted his glasses and for the first time looked at Zero's face closely. Zero seemed sour and agitated and Kaien knew the reason. "Umm... About last night..." But Zero didn't let him to finish his words.

"Yes, about last night... I wanted to find you and talk to you about it yesterday but then I thought that today would be better." Zero started, holding the numerous envelopes firmly in his hands. "I am sure you have heard the result from Takuma-san." Zero looked up to see a serenely smiling Kaien.

"Yes, Takuma told me about how Kaname-kun gave you a hard time there."

"Why didn't you tell me that Kuran Kaname is the other share holder of the restaurant, Cross-san?" Anger was seeping in Zero's voice.

"Oh, but then Kaname-kun would get upset with me. He specifically asked me to keep silent about it." Kaien answered merrily.

Zero frowned, sending a death glare towards the relaxed and calm man sitting before him. "So, what was the reason for it?" He queried. "If it was some kind of a test, I know that I didn't pass it." He added, bowing his head in irritation but feeling obliged to tell the Chairman the truth.

"Ara? What makes you think that you didn't pass it, Zero-kun?" Kaien raised his eyebrows with apparent puzzlement on his face.

Zero barely kept himself from growling in his throat. "That man totally hated my cooking... Not only that but he blatantly said that he found them poor in taste and he didn't even utter a word of approval to anything I did yesterday. It was as if I was the worst cook he'd ever met." Well, that certainly took a lot from Zero's pride and he blurted out the words as quickly as possible to minimize the frustration he felt whilst speaking.

Kaien watched him with wide, unbelieving eyes before he sputtered an started to laugh.

Zero gritted his teeth, no longer hiding his anger. "What is so funny now?" He asked harshly as he watched the bespectacled man laugh to his heart's content. Just as Zero was considering to leave the place all together to never come back, Kain dried his eyes and sighed happily to himself.

"Actually, Zero-kun... My young business partner can be so intimidating and harsh when he wants... But I am surprised that he got under your skin this quickly. You must be much more soft-hearted than you let on." Kaien took off his glasses and started to wipe them clean.

"What does it supposed to mean?" Zero was getting nervous by the second.

"That means, Kaname-kun is a really fine actor if he was able to convince you that he hated what you cooked, which in fact is the absolute opposite of the situation." Kaien smiled and got up from his seat, walking around his table to stand before a stunned Zero. "He loved the meals. He said that he would like to eat more of your dishes and also he was impressed by your patience even when he acted deliberately impolite and picky."

Zero stood in the middle of the room with an empty look on his face. It was clear that he was unable to fully grasp what Kaien was saying to him.

"Roze-chan~" Kaien beamed at him, successfully  _helping_  Zero to gather his scattered wits and anger back. "In fact, Kaname-kun will be coming tonight, too..." He made the swooning gesture and put a hand on his forehead, declaring, "Ahh~. My Roze-chan must have mesmerized Kaname-kun with her delicious dishes that he immediately comes back for more! Aren't I a genius for making Roze-chan the head-waitress?"

Zero furrowed his eyebrows, envelopes slightly creasing in his strong grip.  _That bastard played with me? And he is coming back tonight? For what? To laugh at my face as he happily stuffs his face with more of my dishes! The nerve!_

"So, Chairman, you're literally telling me that last night he made a fool out of me and turned my night a living hell for what? For just to see if I would snap or dunk the whole nabe pot over his smug face?" He spoke his mind, not caring a bit if talking about the owner of the place he worked at in this manner would cause him trouble.

Kaien immediately turned serious and put one of his hands on Zero's shoulder. "Kaname-kun is actually not a rude or bad person, Zero-kun. But I can only guess what you felt last night. So, consider that I didn't hear your opinions on him." And he winked at him, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "But isn't it a good thing that you have experienced such a trial? Kaname-kun was acting, but some other patron might do the same to you for real and cause you trouble. Now, you know how to react, now you know yourself better thanks to last night. Consider that as a lesson and don't forget that I wouldn't have expected any less from you."

"Yeah, certainly..." Zero rolled his eyes, still angry and still refusing to see the point that Kaien was trying to make. "At least I can assure you that he very much enjoyed tormenting me there." He murmured, face pale. "As an owner of such an establishment, he should have at least cared a bit for what his workers might think about him if he always goes and continues to bully people for no reason."

Kaien took a few steps back and observed his worker with a different eye, completely serious this time. Zero looked as if he didn't sleep well last night and under his anger one could see the sadness and nervousness he tried to hide with his best effort. Kaname must have really hurt Zero's feelings if Zero's current downcast eyes and tired face were any indication. Then, Kaien understood what might have ailed the young man till he had learned the truth of the last night.

"You though I was going to fire you, didn't you?" Kaien asked softly, startling Zero and causing him to shift his eyes uneasily to the side. Zero would very much like to refute Kaien's claim but it was true and lying had never been an option for him.

"Zero... Please know this." Kaien started, slowly walking around Zero and returning his seat. "I have eaten your dishes, many people did... None of them uttered a word of complaint to this day and I am proud of it on your behalf. Certainly every artist has always room to improve and I consider serving and cooking as an art. You have some weak points, too, but you are improving. Even if Kaname-kun actually hated your servicing and cooking, I would keep you here."

Kaien watched the display of emotions on Zero's face, anger leaving, surprise and contentment filling his delicate features pleasantly. "I can guess that you have a heavy burden on your shoulders and you work sincerely and selflessly for its sake. How can I fire a worker with such a strong will? How can I not respect you?"

Zero blinked, suddenly feeling his chest tighten with an emotion he refused to recognize.

Kaien smiled assuringly and continued, "As I said before I can't detach myself from my work emotionally. You are the same. I have seen your face last night. And I decided that I would keep you here as long as you are willing to stay and work with us."

Zero didn't know what to say, he simply nodded dazedly, rapidly blinking his eyes for he realized that there was at least someone who had the same ideals as himself, who valued what he was trying to do.

"Thank you, Cross-san." He mumbled, bowing slightly. Kaien clapped his hands and beamed with starry eyes at Zero, immediately killing the mood and replacing it with his overly enthusiastic cheerfulness. "Ahh~. My Roze-chan looks so beautiful when she is moved by words!"

Forgetting that he had been immensely grateful to the man before him a moment ago, Zero gritted his teeth. "Are you sure that you are not a manic-depressive, who's constantly stuck on the manic mode?"

Kaien stopped, for a moment blinking innocently. "What is a manic, Zero-kun?"

Zero raised both eyebrows and he sighed in exasperation. Yes... This man was for real. "Never mind, Chairman... Never mind."

Feeling better than he had before, Zero pushed his worries at the back of his mind and concentrated on his work. He started to give everyone's envelopes, finding the girls who were already scattered around the restaurant and the gardens. After giving his friends' shares and assuring them that everything was going fine, he looked at the remaining envelopes. One of them was addressed to Ruka.

The said girl confidently approached him and eyed him from head to toe with a deprecating glint in her brown eyes. "Ah, I see that you have been kept for this night to earn the full salary, Roze-san." She smiled.

Zero didn't even want to talk to the girl but a few words were needed to thwack some sense into the dirty blond's head. "Thanks for your concern." He smiled, handing her pay cheque. "Everything is alright, Souen-san, So, don't worry your little head off for my sake."

Ruka immediately flushed, suddenly her eyes blazing with fury. "What? Didn't you get fired after that disaster?" She asked incredulously.

Zero, enjoying every bit of Ruka's jealousy and anger, shrugged. Some of the other girls were looking at them now, their attention drawn by Ruka's high pitched question. "Apparently, it wasn't a disaster as you have thought, since I will be here for some time..." Zero answered, handing out some more envelopes to the girls who approached him.

Really, it was disconcerting on some level to be treated like this by Ruka when all the other staff girls smiled at him and thanked him as they got their first salaries from his hands. When no more envelopes left, Zero checked his list and started to announce who to serve where. The partition servers came closer, Yuuki, Aido and Shiki watching Zero with happiness, Aido particularly looking smugly at Ruka who was fuming and did nothing to hide her feelings.

"There must be a mistake!" Ruka was saying. "Who do you think you are?"

Zero wasn't even listening to her, talking to the girls and assigning them with their duties for tonight, all the while with a serious look on his face. "Ayame-san and Fumi-san, number five is yours, there will be three guests at half past six. Hanae-san and Chise-san, you two will assist to the regular servers until ten pm, and then you'll have five guests, so help out Eirie-san..." Zero went on and on, explaining them their schedule.

"Fine! I will go and talk to Cross-san!" Ruka declared, frustrated to be ignored.

Zero stopped, eyes turning to slits. "Souen-san. There is nothing to talk with the Chairman. But if you insist on being uncooperative, you can go and speak to him by any means."

But just then a young boy approached them and asked, led by a staff girl. "Um... Who is Kiryuu-san? I have a delivery for her." He gazed around the beautifully dressed girls with a slight flush on his cheeks.

"It is me, is something the matter?" Zero turned to the boy, distracted.

The young boy smiled and procured a very elegantly wrapped bouquet of red roses and handed them to a surprised Zero. "These are for you, Kiryuu-san. Now please, I need your signature here."

Zero looked at the roses with a slacked jaw, wondering if there was a mistake. Surely there had to be a mistake. Who the hell would send him, a boy, a bouquet of heavenly smelling roses? "This must be a mistake." Zero tried to push back the flowers into the delivery boy's arms but the boy looked up at his chart and shook his head. "You are Kiryuu-san, aren't you? These are sent to you."

"But by whom?" Zero asked, belatedly regretting his surprise induced reaction. Now, everyone present there was going to learn who was the sender.

The boy gazed at his chart again and smiled. "By Kuran Kaname. He also sent this card to you, Miss."

Zero, shocked and angered beyond belief, impulsively snatched the card and flowers back, then begrudgingly signed the chart. He waved the boy off without giving any tips, since there was no money on him. The girls around him started to whisper and chuckle, making dreamy expressions, sighing wistfully.

"Oh, Roze-san... Those are wonderful!"

"Ah, I want my boyfriend to give me a bouquet, too."

"Who's this Kuran Kaname? Is he Roze-san's boyfriend?"

"An admirer?"

"Wow... He must be a fine guy!"

Zero, hearing the whispered words of the girls, flushed to the root of his hair, barely refraining himself from crushing the roses in his arms.

"That's enough, everyone! Return to your assigned places, the lights are being lit!" He grumbled under his breath, scaring away the girls effectively. He would never admit to himself, but his hands were trembling and his cheeks felt hot even under the foundation and the powder he had put on.  _That bastard sent me roses! That bastard actually dared to send me roses!_  He was swearing in his mind, trying to suppress the whirlpool of disturbing emotions he felt. He was belittled and treated like a common, stupid girl, for goodness' sake.

When he glanced around, he could only see Ruka, who was gazing at the bouquet in his arms with an equally flushed face. "He... Kaname-sama... He sent you roses?" She mumbled, unable to believe. Zero gritted his teeth. The girl looked absolutely envious. "-Sama?" Zero asked, baffled by the way how Ruka was addressing Kuran as if he was some kind of lord or aristocrat.

"Yes, -sama!" Ruka glared. "And I thought that he hated you and your dishes. What did you do to him that Kaname-sama sends you flowers?"

Zero narrowed down his eyes. "Maybe you should ask that to your  _dear Kaname-sama_  when he comes tonight." He hissed, forgetting about his embarrassment and checking the list in his hand again. "Oh, but it seems Cross-san has assigned you to my partition, you'll help me out, there will be a group of eight people. Tell Yuuki and Aoi to be ready around seven pm, they will help us." He supplied, hating the fact that he was stuck with Ruka for at least two hours.

But Ruka wasn't listening a word Zero said.. "He will come tonight, too?"

Zero glanced back up her face. "Say Souen-san... Have you known Kuran Kaname before you came here?" Ruka blanched, averting her eyes. When she didn't say anything, he nodded to himself. "I thought so..." Zero murmured.

This girl knew the brunette even before she had started working here and apparently she had a crush on him, too.  _This is troublesome..._  Zero thought, but for some reason he felt sad for Ruka. Kuran Kaname was an unadulterated bastard and a girl like Ruka had no chance with him other than being his play thing just as he himself had been last night.

"Souen-san... If he does not specify a particular server, I will send you to him. Maybe you can prove how a wonderful cook you are and then stop pestering me about it when you get his praises." Zero offered this with good intentions, but Ruka understood differently.

"Oh, sure, Miss head-waitress... How very kind of you." She seethed and turned, throwing her long hair back coquettishly and leaving Zero to himself. Zero shook his head. Everything was already as grueling as it could be and Ruka was pouring oil to it all unwittingly. But Zero had much more pressing matters at hand now.

He looked at the roses and the card, still fuming deep inside and hating himself for still being flushed. He knew that Yuuki and Aido would pester him about this later as their earlier amused glances had been on him when he had received the roses.

How could one explain such a thing? A guy, who was admittedly a very handsome one though also a pampered snob, had sent him flowers... Not any kind of flowers, but red roses. Zero could tell that there were at least twenty five of them in his arms. But what was the most fabulously ridiculous fact here was Zero was a boy... And that brunette was thinking that he was a girl whom Kaname had to be regarding as a simple minded, banal and most probably stupid enough to be fooled with a bunch of flowers.

Zero sighed and suddenly felt disappointed. Did he really look like that? Did he really give the impression that he was such a person? Not that he had anything against the female kind, but he was a man, too, and he would never treat a woman the way this Kuran Kaname was treating him.

He shrugged.  _I am going ahead of myself again._  He though and decided to go to their changing room where he could open the card without any prying eyes around.

He sat down on before the mirrors, putting the roses near him and opened the silver envelope. The material of the paper felt like silk under his fingers, it had to be really expensive. And the card was a pale violet one. Just like his hair and eyes. Zero frowned, biting his lower lip. This could not be a coincidence, Kaname must have chosen these colors on purpose. Trying not mind it, he read the neat handwriting.

" _Kiryuu-san. I hope you'll overlook my boldness in sending you these. Yet, I wanted you to know that I actually enjoyed your dishes last night and forgive me for acting otherwise. I am sure you'll want to listen to my reasons. I will be more than happy to discuss them with you over your dishes tonight. Kuran Kaname."_

Zero's eyebrows rose and the corner of his mouth twitched. He was to serve that stuck-up prude again? "Alright, Kiryuu... Calm down... Things like this can happen and will happen in the future, too, as long as you work here. He wants to talk? So he will get his talk if he can find a moment from stuffing his face." Zero talked to himself, standing up.

For some reason he refused to acknowledge, he didn't even consider throwing away neither the card nor the roses. Instead he carefully tucked them away, unconsciously sniffing the smell of the fragrant flowers and letting it calm him down.

Tonight, he will make that Kaname Kuran apologize him and will enjoy every second of it.

TBC...

_Review please... Writers live for hearing from their readers._


	6. Chapter 6

It was nearly nine o'clock when Zero left the rest in Aido, Yuuki and Ruka's hands and exited from the master room to check if everything was going alright. He took a small stroll in the regular dining area and observed how the other girls behaved and dealt with their tables. Walking around the whole square slowly in his restricting kimono took his ten minutes and he started for the stone paths of the inner garden, eyes unseeingly gazing at the serene scene this traditional oasis represented in the chilling night. The season was becoming colder and colder, autumn making itself apparent even among the trees and flowers of the small strolling area. Even the koi pond was now heated internally via a special system.

Zero gazed into the vast pond and its over-sized, colorful occupants, trying to suppress the building nervousness he was feeling. He very well knew the reason of his trepidation but he doggedly refused to acknowledge it. It was as if Kuran Kaname would silently make another score against him if he succumbed to admit that he was feeling anxious because of the said brunette's imminent arrival.

 _How stupid..._ Zero gritted his teeth. He deemed that he was wasting his precious time by pondering over someone whom he had met only once. What was more unnatural and disconcerting was the fact that he was doing this as if he knew Kuran for ages. Surely, for a man to possess such a hold over him after meeting only once, Kuran Kaname had to be someone really formidable and arrogantly influential. But nobody had the right to treat another like Kuran had done to him. Zero felt like he was getting nervous over nothing, because people like Kuran generally got the kicks out of ridiculing and shaming others as a past-time activity to keep themselves amused. _Stop this, Kiryuu!_

But try as he might, Zero was unable to break free of his consternation. He looked up to the night sky that was visible from the garden and simply settled for listening to the sounds around him. The completely packed place was alive with a pleasant hum of voices and laughter, the wind was rustling the golden leaves of the trees, the fish in the pond were making sloshing sounds and soft foot steps were roaming around the place he was standing.

Zero closed his eyes and concentrated on everything that surrounded him. All together, it was a fairly beautiful night and Zero felt himself relax and he smiled, giving a silent sigh. He was so immersed in his attempt to calm himself that he didn't even realize when somebody approached him behind the willow tree that shadowed the pond and where he was standing.

"Enjoying ourselves?" A deep, musical tone asked much too close for Zero's comfort and he startled, immediately opening his widened eyes and turning to the source of the amused voice.

No more than a few feet away, Kuran Kaname was standing with a serene expression on his fine features, hands in the pockets of a black, unbuttoned trench coat, eying Zero as if he was the most entertaining thing in the whole world.

Berating himself for his folly and swallowing his heart down, Zero tried to school his face into a much more neutral mask of apathy but it was too late. Kaname was smiling now. "Did I startle you, Kiryuu-san? It was not my intention."

Zero glared, not believing the words a bit. "No, Kuran-san. I was taking a breather. I am sorry if I made you look for me around the place." He bowed his head in greeting, his face completely relaying the opposite of what his words were telling.

Kaname shrugged elegantly and turned his attention to the pond. "I just saw you when I entered from the garden's side and thought that maybe I could accompany you a bit and see for myself what is the thing that made you smile like that."

Realizing that he had been watched when his guards were down, Zero turned his head to the side, keeping himself from scoffing.

Kaname watched as Zero's eyes widen with surprise before they were averted with the most beautiful looking shyness he had ever seen.  _So this stubborn looking Kiryuu girl can also become flustered with words... How typical._

"It... It was rude of me, sir, to stand here and forget myself like this..." Zero tried, groaning inside for his ineptness.  _Fabulous, Kiryuu. Go on, stutter like a first grader._  He bit on his lower lip, very much aware that Kaname was watching him with that ever present smugness etched on his face. "If you please so, I can take you to your table, sir." He gestured with his hand, trying to lead the brunette to the room waiting for him.

"There is no hurry." Kaname shook his dark head, his wavy locks swaying in the wind with the motion. As if as an after thought, he added, all the while gazing at Zero from head to toe. "Are you feeling cold? Though I believe that wonderful kimono must be cozier than it looks."

Zero felt himself as if he was being undressed by that through gaze.  _What the hell?_  This man was a demon and he knew it, because he was using his intimidating garnet gaze and deceivingly sweet smile and hushed melodic voice to the full extend.

"No, it is alright. I wouldn't want you wait." Zero quickly came up with a lame answer, heart beating as if it was in his throat.

Without averting his eyes, Kaname openly drank in the sight Zero presented. Tonight, he was wearing a deep green kimono with brick-red patterns on it. His hair was like light beams, as if plucked straight from the moon itself. And the way his translucent amethyst eyes shone made Kaname remember the moon stones that his mother had been so fond of. His golden obi was hugging his sides snugly and Kaname found himself wondering how would it feel like under his hands when he untied it. Catching himself enjoying a vivid mental picture of himself doing that act, Kaname frowned at the though, his eyes turning cold involuntarily.

Zero was looking anywhere but him, long white fingers playing with the strings of his obi nervously. He wasn't aware of it but Zero looked absolutely ravishing in such a simple and elegant way that Kaname felt frustrated by the effect the server was producing on him by merely standing by his side.

He, too, could see that he was making Zero uneasy and nervous, but this wasn't the same thing. For goodness' sake! This was their second meeting and they were unwittingly acting like a couple of foolish soap opera characters in a traditional setting. Kaname would have sworn crudely had he not been raised as a gentleman. This  _girl_  was driving him crazy for all the wrong reasons and he couldn't help but remember Kain's words.

" _No sane man would leave that place without at least marveling at her beauty and talent. And you are no exception, Mr. President."_

 _Clever Casanova..._ Kaname gritted his teeth, silently thinking that if he was feeling frustrated, what better way was there to alleviate it by reflecting it to the person who was the reason of it in the first place? Just as he opened his mouth to make a snide remark about the roses he had sent, Zero beat him to it.

"Kuran-san, maybe you'd like a walk around the garden rather than standing beside the pond? And if you want something warm to drink I can call someone to bring you warm wine as we walk around."

Kaname was pleasantly surprised by the new glint of professionalism that he saw in his server's face. Apparently, his silver haired companion had made the same decision in  _her_  pretty head and was smiling at him now softly. He wondered if Zero was aware that he was looking downright provocative with that smile of his. _Apparently does. She plays the innocent in such a well practiced manner that no one can tell it is fake._

"Hmm?" Kaname arched an elegant eyebrow, eyes nonchalantly sweeping past Zero's now confident looking, lean frame and he murmured, faking boredom. "So, you want to get over with this as quickly as possible? Am I bothering you this much, Kiryuu-san?"

Zero's earlier resolve crumbled under the blatant way how Kaname expressed their current situation. With widened eyes, he shook his head. Crap. Was he that much obvious? "Oh, do I give that impression? I just didn't want to bore you, Kuran-san..."

Satisfied immensely by the alarmed expression he caused on his server's face, Kaname smiled deprecatingly. "And here I thought I hurt your feelings last night, Kiryuu-san." He shrugged, hands still in his pockets.

Pleased garnet orbs observed how Zero's face paled as Zero seemingly struggled with himself for a moment before answering. But suddenly Zero's eyebrows furrowed, his glossy lips quirking up with a belittling smile. "Things like that can happen, sir. We are trying to be as professional as possible. And even though it was a disappointment on my part, I am positively glad that you enjoyed my dishes... behind my back."  _Two can play this game, Kuran!_

Kaname bowed his head in feigned regretfulness. "Ah... So, I have clearly hurt your feelings, I see..." His voice and eyes were melancholic. "But I hope you got my roses, Kiryuu-san."

Zero refrained from pursing his lips in distaste and nodded once. "I did." But he had no intention to thank him. Instead, he looked straight into his patron's eyes, challenging him to utter a word of complaint.

Kaname quirked an eyebrow, mockingly hurtful. "I thought that ladies would thank the ones whomever sent them some flowers. Isn't it common courtesy?"

"Oh, is it?" Zero raised a delicate hand to cover his mouth in mock incredulousness. "I totally forgot that there was actually a common courtesy that was called 'thanking' when someone does a good thing for you." He waved his hand and smiled. "I guess not hearing it makes one forget saying it, too." Zero's face turned completely serious, suddenly feeling tired of their game and just wanting to get over with it as Kaname had said earlier.

"Now, sir, if I humored you enough for the starters, please follow me to your table and let me show you if I have improved from bad to bearable within a night's time." He turned away, not wanting to see Kaname's face, because he was sure he would see that soft yet disparaging smile on those lips yet again.

True to Zero's guess, Kaname regarded his silver haired server with a look of wonder. Suppressing a smile, he followed Zero through the garden, all the while watching how the lights from the paper lanterns were reflected from his silvery hair and pale face. "You surely are a peculiar lady, Kiryuu-san." His voice was low and sincere.

Zero didn't miss a beat. "So I am told many times, Kuran-san. That's why I choose to take this as a compliment." By now, Zero actually thought that he could forget his anger and focus on doing his job to please the picky snob that sauntered beside him to one of the smallest partitions. He wondered if Kaname was as witty as he was cruel. If so, he wasn't planning to step back from any challenge he might be planning to dish out before him. From the corner of his eye, Zero saw Kaname's gaze on him and he slided the shoji door to let him in first.

The small rooms were much more cozier and away from his own master room. Zero silently felt glad that Ruka wouldn't be able to watch him or pry on him here. Though he had initially offered her to send her to Kaname, there wasn't anything he could do now, since Kaname asked specifically for him in the card. Zero hoped that she would not throw a jealousy tantrum after she realized that her precious Kaname-sama was his guest again.

Since the room was already heated from the floor, Kaname quickly discarded his long coat, Zero helping him slide it over his shoulders. The heavy material of the dark coat felt like silk under his hand and Zero quirked his lips in distaste after he saw the brand name of the luxurious thing. Even  _filthy rich_  would be an understatement to describe Kaname, Zero thought. But suddenly as he was hanging the coat in the corner only to turn around and find a comfortably sitting Kaname who was watching him with expectant soft eyes, Zero flushed.

How come this could very well be a scene from the domestic life of a couple? Zero gritted his teeth, hating his traitorous mind for coming up with that embarrassing thought. He tried to convince himself that these kind of scenes were natural to occur, because they were practically in a room that might very well belong to a house. He quickly busied himself with the sake stash, sitting before Kaname.

"What would you like for the starters?" He looked up at the brunette who didn't even bother to check the menu since he already knew what he wanted.

"Hmm..." Kaname watched his server with luminous eyes. "Miso soup, I guess. I want some potatoes and onions in it."

Zero nodded. "And as the main course?"

Kaname smiled amiably in an innocent manner. "Teppanyaki and yakisoba... If two dishes at once won't be much trouble to you, Kiryuu-san."

Zero decided that he hated that sweet smile the most. Kaname was at it again, but thankfully this time what he wanted were much more easier to do. "Of course not." Zero assured, "Those two generally go together, anyway."

"At least they are not as complicated as nabe, aren't they?" Kaname rejoined with an apathetic face.

Zero looked up from his preparation of appetizers, trying to find any indication of malice on the brunette's face. But, damn, Kaname was actually a good actor as the Chairman said before. "Nabe also is a simple dish, Kuran-san. We have never claimed that we are creating miracles here. Maybe you should sometime come and dine in the regular area to see how our chefs are much more up to your standards than we the ones here are."

"Aren't you underestimating yourself?" Kaname realized that he was actually enjoying this small banter with his server. He liked the way how Zero kept on par with him with his come backs, keeping a straight face even though his softly spoken words were laced with sarcasm. Though he believed that Zero was playing the 'tough girl', Kaname deemed that he liked  _her_  attitude.

"Oh, do you think so...suddenly?" Zero looked up at him with faked innocence.

Kaname, unable to hold down his mirth any longer, laughed openly, garnet eyes squinting and pearl white teeth flashing in a big smile. Zero had never seen such a wondrous thing in his life before. Sure, he loved his brother's happy, heartfelt laughters the best, but the brunette's laugh was like the chiming of bells. With wide eyes, Zero drank up the sight unaware that he was openly ogling Kaname with a positively mesmerized expression on his face. He didn't even remember the fact that he should be offended by the laughter.

Kaname's laughter softened into a smile and he bent one knee to rest his elbow on it, leaning his head on his hand. When he realized that he was being watched by Zero with that utterly surprised face, he murmured. "Please don't take offense. Your answers just amused me so much that I guess I needed an outlet to relax a bit."

Catching himself, Zero quickly bowed his head, silently fuming at himself for rudely watching the other male as if he had done a very special thing. He decorated the table with various small appetizers and stood up to fill Kaname's cup with warm sake. "It's alright." He managed to tell, sitting beside where Kaname's left hand rested and leaned in to do his job.

Being slightly taller than Zero and due to his current position, Kaname found himself gazing at the naked nape of his server. Tonight, Zero was wearing his extensions in a firm bun and that left his neck and nape bare to the eye. Kaname found himself gazing at the small, silvery bits of hair decorating that patch of pale skin and a sudden urge to just lean in and smell it filled him without a warning.

When Zero straightened up and turned his head to ask if he wanted any other thing before he left to get the ingredients from the kitchens. He found himself face to face with the brunette, who apparently had slanted closer to him when he wasn't looking. His heart in his throat, Zero's eyes widened when Kaname's breath brushed against his face and the brunette's intense eyes followed a path from his lips to his eyes slowly.

 _Whoa..._ Was the brunette hitting on him? Zero's mind swirled to find something to utter to break the embarrassing atmosphere but Kaname's serious scrutiny and entrenched attention were not helping.

"Yes?" Kaname asked, his face lit with a sudden smile and curiosity which completely masked how ardently he had been looking at Zero before.

 _Crap..._ Completely befuddled, Zero quickly got up and unsteadily went for the sliding door. He forced a nervous smile on his lips and with a bowed head asked Kaname if he would like anything else.

Kaname watched Zero as the latter practically scrambled to put some distance between them, his smile dissipating, aggravation bubbling up deep inside but with whom he couldn't tell. "No, thank you." He murmured and averted his eyes from the silver haired server who was refusing to hold his gaze.

Zero quickly left the room. His face paling as he dashed to the kitchens.  _What was that?_  He was asking to himself continuously, trying to come up with a logical explanation to what he felt back in the room. His heart was hammering in his chest and anger was burning in his stomach. He was sure that they weren't that close initially. And Zero realized belatedly that Kaname had been looking at his lips!

In a blink of an eye, Zero found himself in the left side of the kitchens and he stood there, completely stupefied.  _Shit! Something is wrong with that Kuran. He was hitting on me, a boy, for goodness' sake!_

"Ah, Roze-san, what is your order?" He regained his wits with the call of his co-worker and placed his order. The man gazed at him with suspicious eyes and prepared her order quickly.

"Are you okay?" The man asked, handing his ingredients.

Zero nodded absently and wondered if it was a good idea to return so quickly back to the room after that episode and for a moment, he seriously considered to call Ruka and dump the tray in her hands and send the girl to deal with Kuran tonight.

Then, he took a moment and stopped in his tracks.

A sudden grin broke over his lips and Zero had to keep himself in check to not laugh out loud. He bit his lower lip, snickering uncharacteristically. Really, it wasn't a common occurrence to see an admittedly very handsome male trying to hit on another male, thinking that he was a girl. How much more ridiculous could things get? Zero wondered into what kind of a priceless expression those cool looking features of Kaname would distort had he known that the girl whose lips he eyed like a hawk a moment ago was indeed very much of a male like himself.

Poor Mr. High and Mighty was wasting his charms on him and Zero was all but too elated to feel offended for being treated like this just because he was sashaying around as a girl. He composed himself and marveled about if Kaname was not aware of how he acted or if it was his plan to embarrass him by openly flirting with him. Either way, it was too amusing to not to have a hearty laugh at a fellow male's unwitting or planned attempts to attract a supposedly female. So, Kaname was not immune to good looks or to the level-headed members of the opposite sex, huh?  _How typical..._

Finding courage in his thoughts and with a small smile, Zero re-entered the small room and proceeded to sit before his patron and prepare Kaname's soup. He wasn't conscious of Kaname's narrowed down eyes on his person.

Where was this confidence in his server coming from? Kaname felt like a fool for losing himself in the moment before and openly displaying to Zero that he actually might be affected by  _her._ Probably... Maybe... But now Zero was looking too calm and contented with himself as if he was making fun of him silently.  _Simple girls, too, do have some tricks up their sleeves, then?_  He thought with hardened eyes. To get back at Zero, he nonchalantly asked. "Kiryuu-san, is that rose on your hair real?"

Zero raised his head from his work, hands still mixing the dashi stock for the soup. "Pardon, sir?" What was Kaname at again?

"I wondered if the rose pin on your hair is real or not." Kaname repeated, sipping his warm sake and intently observing Zero.

One of Zero's hands absent-mindedly went up to touch his blue hair pin which was made of velvet cloth in the form of a real rose. "No, Kuran-san, it is an imitation." He murmured, not understanding the point of the brunette's question.

Kaname's lips lifted up in an imperceptible smile. "Blue doesn't suit your kimono's color, why didn't you pin a red rose instead of it?"

Zero's eyes widened in belated comprehension and he quickly glanced at his soup bowl to hide his irritation. "I don't think it is right to use those roses for this. It would be like I am flaunting something when there is nothing to do so."

"Hmm? Who told you that I meant the roses I sent to you?" Kaname continued innocently.

Zero gritted his teeth. Kaname was surely getting good at this. "My mistake." He muttered and didn't even look up to see his patron's face. But fairly enough, Kaname didn't pursue the subject, changing tactics. "That reminds me... Did you like them?"

 _Fantastic._ Zero's hands stilled for a moment. Was Kaname expecting him to blush and sigh dreamily? He decided to humor him. "They were as pretty as any other flower could be." He started to cut down the already peeled potato and considered if he should do something different and use some earth apples, too.

Kaname calmly watched him, impressed by Zero's evasiveness. "But I would really like to see one of them on your hair, Kiryuu-san, as a token of your acceptance of my peace offering."

Now that made Zero flush a bit faintly. He got up and went to the drawers near the entrance to look for some of those tubers. Finding what he was looking for and enough time to compose himself, he sat down and peeled off the skin of the vegetable. "Why are you doing this, Kuran-san?" He asked without looking at him.

Kaname raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence but feeling his heart beat faster upon the unexpected question. "Why am I doing what?" His voice was completely serious and that made Zero's hands still again before he shook his head at himself and cut down the sweet smelling tuber to add to the potato cubes.

"At least tell me that you are enjoying this, then I will just be silent and nod at everything you say. Because I am here for the enjoyment of my diners." With a straight face, he dunked the vegetables into the boiling soup stock to simmer them for a few minutes. He refused to meet Kaname's eyes, but appallingly enough, he wasn't feeling any ire towards the other male.

"Are you asking this with some kind of rancor or out of pure curiosity?" Kaname leaned back on his chair, luminous eyes never ceasing their watchful attention over Zero.

"Had I felt any rancor or resentment towards you, I would have refused it when you have asked me to accompany you tonight, Kuran-san." Zero was surprised with himself. He had never acted so calm in the face of a situation like this before.

"Would you look at my face, Kiryuu-san, while you are talking to me?" Kaname's voice was devoid of any hard feelings, too, as if he was simply imploring Zero to be more considerate with him. Zero found himself unable to refuse that request.

"I was rude, pardon me." Zero bowed his head a bit and looked up. Kaname didn't have that smug expression any longer. Actually, for the first time since they had met, he was looking at him like a person, not like a woman, not like a cook or like a lesser being than himself. It was a nice change for Zero and he wondered what the brunette was going to tell him.

"I would really like to see it, Kiryuu-san. But I am not saying this to make you nervous or uneasy. I wouldn't want to disrupt your work. That was just a simple wish of mine." He smiled assuringly and indicated the boiling bowl with his head. Zero's attention quickly turned to it and he added the onion slices he had gotten ready, gently stirring the soup once.

"Maybe I can do something about it." Zero offered, a sly thought entering his mind, because he didn't believe in Kaname's sincerity. The brunette was just flirting and it was a golden rule in flirting to pamper the lady's ego with mildly embarrassing requests like wanting her to wear this or that, put on those and these because you wanted to see how they look on her... Cheap tricks they were, but Zero, without knowing, was actually amused to see Kaname's efforts getting wasted on himself.

He scooped out some soup from the bowl and dissolved miso in it with quick movements. Pouring it back into the bowl, he turned the heating off. He prepared a service of it for Kaname, decorating it with chopped green onion and tiny fried tofu bits. He served the soup and got up to replenish Kaname's cup with more warm sake. Before he left to do the thing in his mind, he patiently waited for Kaname's comment.

Kaname chose to eat the dish with a spoon since Zero had purposefully cut the things into really small bits. But the result was wondrous, because the tubers somehow seemed both meaty and melted into the stock just the right way. The normally not used earth apples were sweet and went well with the sharp taste of the onions.

"Wonderful." Kaname praised truthfully. "But things should have been a little more close to bite sized pieces... Not everyone likes using spoons." And he continued his meal silently.

Zero bowed his thanks and left the room, rushing to the kitchen utilities area. He purposefully had cut the vegetables so small, because he had remembered that in their first visit Kaname had used a spoon to drink the stock of the yudofu, though many people would prefer to not drink much of it. Kaname seemed to like soups and it was Zero's duty to observe his guests' preferences to help them enjoy what they eat. Apparently, Kaname wasn't aware that there was something called as 'special treatment'.

But Kaname was very much aware of it and he felt begrudgingly glad that Zero considered his preference. Begrudgingly, because he knew Zero was treating everyone like this and Kaname was categorized among them. It wasn't a favor solely and specially reserved for him. But that knowledge didn't deter Kaname from nursing a sudden tinge of jealousy in his chest.

When the shoji door slided again, what he saw was enough to make him sputter his soup had he not been a person known for his self control.

Zero, in mere minutes, managed to find a vase and tuck all the roses in it that Kaname had sent him and brought the flowers back. With a straight face he sat beside Kaname and put the vase on the table, a bit away from the dishes and started to arrange the flowers to make them look less awkward. He was grinning inside at the look on Kaname was giving him.

"Oh... I see that the roses are... doing fine, Kiryuu-san." Kaname murmured, eyebrows rising.

"Why, they are happy to see their sender again, Kuran-san." Zero smiled back cruelly, sitting calmly beside Kaname as his hands busied themselves among the crimson flowers. He watched Kaname from the corner of his eye as the brunette sighed in surrender and put his spoon down, bowing his head with a soft smile.

"Now that actually stung a bit. I wanted to see them on your hair not under my nose, looming over my soup."

Zero withdrew his hands immediately, turning his gaze to Kaname, face a perfect mask of incredulousness. "But since you wanted to see them so badly, I thought you wouldn't mind if a stray petal or two fell here and there."

His server certainly knew how to get back, didn't  _she_? Kaname's eyes narrowed down with dangerous sensuality and he reached to pluck a few red petals. Putting them into his soup, he took his chopsticks and deliberately dipped one of them into the stock. Slowly, without breaking eye contact with Zero, he put the crimson petal between his lips, sucking on the sauce from the velvety thing, chopsticks still pressed against his lips.

Zero watched the lascivious display without blinking, suddenly speechless, as Kaname's voluptuous lips parted to accept the petal into his mouth. Kaname made a soft delighted noise in his throat and nodded, smiling. "They would have certainly look good on you, but since you seem like the kind who would use even these kind of things in her dishes, I thought that I might go and give it a try before you offered." The taunt was lowly spoken, adding to the general sensuousness that Kaname showed off with that simple stunt of his.

Zero blinked, catching his mouth open in fascination. Damn, he was dumbly ogling the brunette again while sitting this close to him. He glared to divert the attention from his suddenly flaring cheeks.  _Okay. Point given, Kuran._  Zero got up to start on the main course. "Then I am glad that they are at least good for something."

Kaname was not even a little bit ashamed of what he had done. "So you are still sour about last night, aren't you?" It was time to take things more seriously now.

Zero didn't deem lying and refuting what Kaname had said as being honest. Instead, he chose a roundabout answer, sitting before his patron again and heating the sheet metal. "In your card, you wrote that you would like to discuss some things with me. I can listen to you as I cook the teppanyaki."

Kaname smiled silently and continued his soup with a strange gleam in his eyes. "Do you think the number of the partition staff meets the demand, Kiryuu-san?"

 _What is with the sudden question?_  So, Kaname was going to be roundabout, too... Zero thought about the question seriously, cutting chinese cabbage, green bell peppers, carrots and potatoes. "I guess in a few weeks, the number of the guests in them will increase in number. Sometimes a server can't handle a room herself when the guests come in large groups." Zero remembered last night with distaste.

"Hmm... The master room can take in up to twelve persons, right?"

Zero nodded, taking marinated chicken fillets in his hands to roll them around enoki mushrooms, green asparagus and pepper slices. He put the ready rolls on the sheet to grill.

Kaname watched patiently as Zero grilled the vegetables, marinated beef and chickens, de-shelling scallops and cooking them aside with shrimps. "So, as the head waitress, what is your solution to this?" Kaname asked, utterly enjoying the sight of his server as Zero went about preparing different sauces.

"Maybe we need five more servers to get more help when needed. Maybe they would take their salary based on the number of evenings they serve..." Zero thought out loud.

"Good idea." Kaname nodded, playing with a rose in his hand. "Do your diners like the pre-made stocks?"

Zero bit his lower lip in concentration. "I actually don't know, chefs make ready nearly all kinds of soup stock before-hand for that evening's use."

"Do you remember when I told you that your nabe tasted plain?" Kaname reached for his sake cup.

Zero nodded and looked up, understanding brightened up his eyes. "Every server should prepare them for their own use?" It was like a question, but Zero felt doubtful. "But there are so many kinds and not each of them is guaranteed to be used in a night."

Kaname's eyebrows rose as if he didn't know the answer for it. Zero made some miso dipping, using soy sauce, grated onion and apple, mixing it with sugar and sesame oil. He proceeded to make a sauce from ketchup and honey, suddenly an idea coming to him. "Maybe when the reservations are made, one day before the guests arrive we might make them confirm what they'd like to eat. So, every server can prepare their own stocks and sauces beforehand."

Zero looked up to see Kaname smiling at him with approval in his eyes. "Another good idea... Kiryuu-san, what would you do, say, if you needed something during cooking but being the only one here now, you can't leave the room or else you might burn the dish you are making?"

Mixing ketchup and honey with soy sauce, Zero added some pine apple juice and carrot juice in his sweet dipping sauce. He turned his attention to Kaname. "Now that's a real problem actually." He conceded, recalling that he had had to wait for Aido's arrival to cook the teriyaki last night.

"Say, you are outside, but I need something, how can I call you or someone else?" Kaname persisted, garnet following Zero as his server made the green sauce that he had liked so much yesterday.

Zero gave it a hard thought. Actually, that had happened a few times and a few patrons clearly stated their displeasure. Then he recalled Kaname's question about the extra staff. Zero had initially thought that they could be part-time workers but now he had a better idea.

"Maybe those five servers could be used for stand-ins when the actual server is not around... There are three sides on this garden, each having five partitions, we can hire three more people to help us when we need something from the kitchens. And... Maybe the customers and us can use bells to call them..."

And Zero served the grilled sea food with his green sauce. Standing up, he took a chilled sake from the stash and sat beside Kaname to fill his cup. Kaname followed his every movement and smiled when Zero finished his serving. "Now, tell me... How were you able to realize all these, Kiryuu-san?"

Zero turned towards the brunette and gazed up at his serene face. Suddenly realizing that they had been talking without taunting or deprecating each other for the first time. And all these problems and solutions were realized thanks to Kaname's earlier pestering and picky nature at which Zero had gotten immensely angry and hated the man for it. "Experience?" He asked with a really innocent face, eyes wide with wonder.

Kaname softly laughed, pleased and playful. But Zero didn't find the picture aggravating, in fact, it was welcome and soothing this time.

"You had purposefully cut the miso soup's vegetables in tiny bits, why?"

Zero's eyebrows rose, all of a sudden he found himself unable to hold the sincere gaze of the brunette. "Because you seem to like drinking soup's stock and I wanted you to be able to drink it easily with a spoon."

"You had served Kain a radish salad, too... Are all the servers here this considerate and watchful of their diners' palate?"

Damn, Zero felt himself flush under the earnest luminous eyes. "Oh, the grill..." He used it as an excuse to put distance between them again and returned to his place. "I don't know, Kuran-san." He murmured truthfully.

"Maybe you should make sure of it sometime, Kiryuu-san." Kaname dipped a shrimp into the green sauce and took a bite, making a nearly inaudible sound in his throat as the morsel crisply gave way under his teeth. Zero watched him in rapt attention, face expectant and full of trepidation.

"This is good..." Kaname nodded. "Are the chicken rolls ready? I want one filled with mushrooms."

Zero quickly complied, decorating a plate with chickens after cutting them into bite sized morsels. He served them with the sweet sauce and waited for Kaname's approval. It was ridiculous, but now he realized that he wanted the brunette to like them not because he tried to assert his skills but because he wanted to see the simple bliss that appeared on Kaname's face in each bite. Was it normal?

Kaname thought that he loved that excited gleam in Zero's exquisite eyes and took pride in putting it there himself.  _She_  looked, dare he say, cute... And it was a nice change from  _her_  earlier cynical and aggressive attitude, not that he didn't like that, too. "Wonderful." He nodded appreciatively. And without knowing what he was doing Zero smiled brilliantly with a bowed head. Kaname could barely suppress a wistful sigh upon seeing that smile on Zero's delicate features. Why was he feeling breathless all of a sudden?

Unawares, Zero left the rest to grill by themselves, occasionally serving Kaname the smoky meats or veggies. His mind was full of what Kaname had said and made him realize earlier. This man looked like a complete bastard, but in reality, he had been teaching him a lesson last night. Sure, he seemed cruel and brick-headed, but Kaname was actually helping him to become better in his responsibilities. The realization erased nearly all the bitter feelings in Zero's heart, except for the deep worry he had felt crushed under with the thoughts of Ichiru. Kaname could have told him these at the end of yesterday's meal, instead of taunting him like that before he'd left.

As if reading his thoughts, Kaname asked. "Kiryuu-san? Did I really hurt your feelings yesterday?"

The sincere tone of that melodic voice alerted Zero and he simply nodded as he cut the yakisoba vegetables. "A bit... Maybe..." Who was he kidding, he didn't even sleep.

"You are so pale and seem like you haven't slept at all. Was I that harsh?"

Was that regret on Kaname's face? Zero refused to take it as what it was and shook his head. "It's okay. I understand your earlier behavior. Now that I think about it, it will help me in the future."

Kaname laughed at that, an actual, real laugh. "You mean now you know how to deal with mean, pampered and rich patrons like me?"

Zero's face paled a bit, surprised that Kaname knew how others might be perceiving him and was even joking about it when most of the people from his status remained ignorant of their fallacies. "Sir, you misunderstood. I meant that you helped me see the things that are not going well around here by making me experience them in practice yesterday. And I am glad that you spared your time for it." He bowed his head, continuing his cutting and slicing.

"Does this mean you no longer have any hard feelings?" The brunette smiled when Zero shook his head. "Then perhaps you might tell me your name."

Zero looked up at him with widened eyes. Kaname was in his flirting-mode again, because that devilish glint in his eyes had returned. He thought that the brunette would easily learn it from the Chairman, but there was no need for the fuss that might follow it. "It is Roze." He murmured begrudgingly and saw Kaname's eyes lit up with mirth.

"Then you must accept this and keep this Roze, otherwise I can't leave this place with a guilty conscience." He leaned in, rising on his bent leg and offered the rose that he had been playing with all along.

Zero watched the display, as Kaname's partly buttoned up black shirt delightfully slided with the motion to reveal a part of finely sculpt pale chest, his collarbones exposed, nearly one of his nipples showing behind the silk material. Flushing furiously, Zero tore his eyes from the sight and quickly reached to take the offered flower, all the while amusing Kaname unwittingly.  _Alright, another point is given, Kuran. With a bonus._  Zero gritted his teeth and glared at his rose before hastily leaving it aside, belatedly realizing that Kaname hadn't add a -san at the end of his name.

Finishing chopping up the already grilled meat and vegetables, he heated oil in a skillet and furiously fried the meat a bit, adding the veggies in the mix, all the while trying to erase the image of the brunette from his mind. He would never do that before a girl. Really, some guys had no sense of modesty. Zero frowned to himself, preparing yakisoba seasoning from various spices. Men like Kaname certainly had to be thinking that they had every right to flaunt. They had the money, they had the status, they had the power... and the good looks to top it all.

Nothing was fair in this world, Zero knew it from the first hand. But he found himself wishing that this Kaname person was not one of those jerks who saw everyone beneath their feet as if they had the right to toy with them just because they were what they were. Kaname seemed one time sincere and compassionate, the other time taunting and smug. It was a given that he was a snob, but admittedly a charismatic one at that. And Zero no longer found his company aggravating or torturous like he had done yesterday.

He added his noodles into the mix, poring some water. He covered the skilled with a lid. He came to himself with Kaname's question.

"Do you enjoy your job here, Roze?"

"Yes, it is actually pretty good." Zero answered from Roze's point of view. "Though I would like it more if I wasn't required to sit all the time." He smiled, his legs were killing him when he returned home.

Kaname calmly ate whatever Zero was occasionally serving to him without complaint and found that he was very much enjoying it when Zero acted less nervous than he was before. "Kimonos are bothersome things to sit in them but I like the elegance that they add to a lady. And I think they look good on you, Roze."

Zero's lips quirked up in a forced smile and he mumbled his thanks, barely keeping himself from rolling his eyes. "Your shirt looks good on you, too, Kuran-san." He tried to mock the brunette, but it flew over Kaname's head.

"Ah, you think so? Then I should wear it more often." He smiled softly.

Zero raised an eyebrow, astounded with the forwardness of his patron and checked his yakisoba. It was nearly ready. He added the seasoning and stir-fried the dish, all the while thinking that maybe Kaname was mistaking his come backs as his way of flirting back. Irritating.

"From whom did you learn to cook?"

Really now, the brunette was never giving up, bombarding him with personal queries. "By myself, of course."

Kaname's eyebrows rose in surprise. " _Of course_? I thought that you've learned it from your mother..."

Zero's face fell and he vigorously stirred his noddles, feeling the chopsticks in his hands tremble with the force. "When you have no mother to begin with, you learn many things by yourself, Kuran-san." He forced his answer through gritted teeth, wondering why he was disclosing this information to the curious brunette.  _Go on, pity me, Kuran..._

But contrary to his expectation, Kaname smiled in an understanding manner. "So, you are also an orphan..." He murmured but didn't say more on the subject, making Zero wonder if Kaname was an orphan, too. "I know it is hard to cope with everything alone, when one is like that." He added, his face suddenly melancholic.

Zero gazed at him, somehow drawn to the silent sadness he could see flickering in the reddish brown orbs of his patron. He was itching to ask Kaname if he was like him, too, but thought better of it. "I wasn't alone. I have never been..." He spoke truthfully, thinking of Ichiru, thinking of his friends.

Kaname drank up the fascinating sight of a Zero who was smiling with closed lips, dazedly preparing him a service of his yakisoba. "Are those servers from yesterday your friends?"

Zero nodded, handing him the plate he decorated with green sea weed and red pickled ginger. He looked at the garden to see the dancers getting ready for tonight's performance.

"It must be nice to have friends like them. They seemed very fond of you."

Zero was surprised to hear the note of envy and longing in Kaname's voice. "I think it also must be nice to have friends like yours, too, Kuran-san. Especially Takuma-san seemed like a very thoughtful and nice person."

His server's absent-minded comment caused something to burn in Kaname's chest and his face went completely serious. His eyes narrowed down without his knowing and he regarded Zero with something akin to fury.

Zero looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, not understanding what made the brunette tick again. "Did I say something offending without knowing?" He asked, voice barely audible. Kaname could be very intimidating when he wanted, becoming the complete opposite of his calm and easy demeanor from a moment before.

Catching himself, Kaname started to eat his yakisoba to distract himself from the disturbing thought that his server might have taken a liking in Takuma. Sure, his blond friend was handsome. He was utterly charming when he wanted to be, he was kind and had the personality that could relax others, too. But why Takuma? All through the night hadn't he been trying his damnedest to show  _her_  that he li...

His thoughts came to a screeching halt. Ridiculous... What was he thinking? Was he jealous of this simple girl... from his dear friend? Now that was a complete nonsense. He prided himself for having the most exquisite taste in everything he laid eyes on, and he would never go out of his way for this girl who was a nobody in his eyes.

Foolishness... He had to be really tired for his mind to go astray like that. "It was nothing." He answered over his sake cup. "I just remembered something, that's all."

Zero nodded his head, but he was not convinced. Maybe a change of topic would be better. "Did you like it, Kuran-san?"

For a moment Kaname stared at him in incomprehension, still consumed by this thoughts. Then he looked into the yakisoba plate. He simply nodded his approval and resumed his eating.

The music for the Mai performance started and Zero thought that it was time to leave the room for him to let his guest to enjoy his meal alone. He stood up, taking another plate of the bite sized cut chicken and beef and the ceramic sake jug with him before he sat down beside Kaname again. He was curious why the atmosphere suddenly turned tense and sour, but he persuaded himself that it was not his business. It was better to leave the all of a sudden serious and harsh looking brunette alone.

Just as he made to stand up and ask him if his patron wanted anything else, Kaname reached up and held him down from the sleeve of Zero's kimono. "Stay here."

Surprised a bit by the unusual demand, Zero turned to Kaname, smiling nervously. "I thought I should leave you alone so that you can enjoy the show and your meal, sir."

Kaname shook his head, his wavy locks dancing around his face. "You can stay. Do you have another reservation for tonight?"

"Yes, around half past eleven... Must be some kind of a late-night oden party."

"How many people?"

"Four... Why do you ask, Kuran-san?" Zero didn't understand a bit. Normally, since the place was open until one am in the morning, late nighters were common, especially businessmen in groups. But Kaname's sudden interest after his earlier sourness was something really curious.

Kaname ignored the question and went on, "Are you hungry?" He was watching Zero over each morsel or sip as if he was eating or drinking Zero. With growing uneasiness, Zero could only associate that predatory dark look in Kaname's eyes with that. True, the brunette possessed a mysterious allure and sensuousness, but Zero didn't like it a bit to be the object of those emotions on Kaname's features.

"It is forbidden for us to eat together with our guests, Kuran-san."

"It is Kaname, Roze. And take those clean chopsticks and taste your own dishes for a change. Eating alone is boring."

What kind of a reasoning was that? Zero glared. And calling the brunette by his first name?  _Hell no!_

But something in Kaname's poise and demeanor at that moment told him that he had better do as his patron said. Was this a test, again? "Kuran-san, this is not a good idea, I must refuse. But I can sit here and accompany you." Was the brunette getting drunk? But he drank even less than yesterday.

"Do as I say Roze, you are my worker, aren't you? So, you'll do as I say." Kaname insisted, all the while watching his silver haired companion with the rapt attention of a deadly snake. He rested his elbow on his raised bent knee and leaned his head on his hand, hair entwined through his long fingers. He wasn't even pretending to watch the show any more since his own personal attraction for the night was sitting beside him, looking nervous and pale with trepidation shining brightly in those amethyst eyes of his.

Zero struggled very hard to not flush and averted his gaze to the table. Reluctantly, he took up the chopsticks and took a morsel from the cooled down beef. He chewed, eyes still not meeting his tormentor's, knowing that Kaname was ogling him with those compellingly smothering eyes.

"Take some from the yakisoba, too." Kaname lowly murmured, pushing the plate towards Zero.

Zero suppressed a sigh, telling himself to relax and just play along with Kaname's game. But taking something from someone else's plate? It was a no-no. "Thanks, I don't want to." He politely refused and went for the meat plate but Kaname harshly pushed the yakisoba plate before him, the other porcelain crockery sliding away. "I said yakisoba."

Zero bit his lower lip. This was too much, what did he do wrong this time to deserve this torment? With hardened eyes, he turned to Kaname to make him stop with his stunts, but he faltered. Kaname was smiling. "You act well under pressure, Roze. Some other server might be either trying to blind me with those chopsticks or would have flushed to the heaven and back."

How demented could this guy get? Zero very much wanted to growl and bury his chopsticks in each of those wondrous eyes, but he controlled himself and sighed. "There are better ways to test a person's limits,  _Kuran-san_." He bit on his name, not amused a bit. "Whole night you lectured me about how to be a better head-waitress here and meet your standards. I don't complain, thanks for your help. But if you'd be so inclined to listen to a piece of mind from your slaves.. ah, pardon, workers, I would say you this. Having good motives certainly does not justify using bad means to convey them. You taunted me yesterday before you have left, me and crying and all... I would never cry over something like that, but wouldn't it be more considerate of you to make your point directly by talking instead of using roundabout ways?"

Kaname smirked dangerously. "Aren't you forward, Kiryuu-san? Telling me what I should do and what I shouldn't..."

 _Kiryuu-san?_  Zero's eyes went wide and the color drained from his face when he realized that he had been openly berating the brunette as if he was a small child. But he was right, damn it, he didn't want to apologize. Excusing himself and never coming back here was the best choice before he turned this night into another disaster. But before he could leave, he heard Kaname's laugh.

"I am too harsh, aren't I? I sometimes forget that some people around me can find their own ways without me forcing them through thorn covered roads. But I am like this. Rather than telling them that they have to go through that road and endure it, I push them towards the thorns without explaining what awaited them. I am really sorry for forcing you like that, Roze, both today and yesterday."

Zero was stunned. The brunette was apologizing him and on his face there was that sublime mirth but he seemed sincere and more friendly. "You sure can shift between different moods so easily, sir." He commented with awe and that amused Kaname more.

"If you were a businessman like me who wrestles with wolves and foxes each day, you'd be like me, too." And as if as an after thought, he bent his head a bit and let his dark bangs cover his face becomingly. "But Roze doesn't need to learn bad tricks like that, she is fine the way she is." He whispered lowly, an admiring glint lighting his eyes up.

Now that was a bull's eye hit. Zero gave him that.  _Okay, another point, Kuran._ He raised his hand unconsciously to his mouth to cover his burning cheeks instinctively. He was sure his face was getting tired of changing its color so often and rapidly tonight. And how come he felt effected each time enough to give this reaction? He wasn't a girl, damn it, but he was blushing like one. Frustrating, but he admitted that Kaname had this strange air about him that would make even a stone wall flush under his intense scrutiny.  _Typical lady-killer who tries to hide it under his cynical and cold demeanor..._ Zero placed the label on his patron.

"May I take your order for the desert?"

"I thought you said you'd stay here until I am finished. I don't want anything for desert."

Finally, maybe to persuade Zero to sit beside him a while longer, Kaname diverted his attention to the dance show on the garden and continued with his yakisoba. Zero sat there silently, observing him from the corner of his eye and he too tried to enjoy the colorful traditional dance and music. Truth be told, he was more comfortable now since he wasn't the focus of the brunette's attentions anymore.

Eventually, Kaname finished his meal and laid his chopsticks down, thanking Zero for his patience and the delicious meals. He didn't knew why but upon his thanks the way Zero's features lit up with pride made him happy. He didn't think about how such a small, insignificant thing could elevate his spirits, too. Zero was simply enchanting and Kaname realized that seeing her happy or relaxed was much more endearing than making her angry and agitated with his deliberate teases.

Zero poured him some warm umeboshi wine and left him to bring his bill. Kaname enjoyed the silence in his server's absence and his eyes went for the flowers again. After leaning in and smelling the deliciously fragrant roses, he picked up a blossom among them and cut the stem short. Twirling it between his fingers, he waited for Zero.

After a few minutes, Zero came in and handed him the leather booklet. He diverted his attention to the long black coat hanging on the corner, giving Kaname some privacy as the brunette stashed some bills in the booklet. Taking the rose with him, Kaname stood up, slightly tipsy with the alcohol he had drunk. He let Zero help him in putting on his coat.

He turned towards Zero, adjusting his collar. "Roze, would you pin this rose on my collar?"

Zero looked at the velvety blossom with apprehension, mind considering whether he should humor Kaname or not. They were standing so close and it wouldn't be appropriate to do so. But the soft look on Kaname's face was very persuasive and harmless, he couldn't bring himself to refuse it. He nodded his head, taking a step forward, entering Kaname's personal space. With trembling fingers he tried to fix the stem of the rose into the button hole of the collar, but his fingers were shaky and the rose was coming down from the small hole each time he put it there.

Without thinking, Zero looked up with furrowed brows to tell Kaname that he couldn't do it, but he stilled. The brunette was looking down at him, a silent smile on his lips, eyes expectant. Zero realized that he was shorter than Kaname and the way his own head was raised up to the other's face suddenly made him conscious of the position he was in. He bowed his head with a nervous smile, the corner of his lips twitching. Damn, that looked like they were about to kiss, didn't it? Kaname had to be purposefully doing this, that bastard... "Sorry, it falls from the button hole." He murmured with a deep frown.

"Then would you use a hairpin from your bun? I really want this..." Kaname requested innocently.

Damn that melodic tone of his that could persuade even a fanatic to apostatize. Wonderful, because Zero found himself actually complying to the request. He tentatively slid out a black pin, decorated with a fake stone, from his bun and took the rose again and fastened the stem to the button hole with it. The crystal stone shone brightly under the red rose and Zero smoothed out the collar before he took a step back and gazed at his work.

Kaname practically beamed at him with closed eyes, ivory teeth flashing in a smile. He leaned in and smelled the rose from his collar, eyes never leaving Zero's. "Thanks, Roze... It looks great." He murmured his appreciation sensuously.

Zero bowed his head to hide his troubled features, silently fuming inside.  _So, this settles the match as Kaname: four, with this last minute score, and Zero: null... How fantastic!_

"Sorry to tell you that I won't be returning the pin." The brunette went on, pleased by the sight as his server whipped  _her_  head to him, eyes wide in surprise. "I hope it is not much of a trouble."

"No, of course not..." Zero mumbled, fuming inside for being caught in this situation again. And Kaname bid his good bye.

"Now, thanks to me, you also have an experience to help you in the future when a spoiled, stuck-up rich man flirts with you unabashedly during your service." The brunette laughed merrily, exiting the room, leaving behind a mortified Zero who stood still behind him mutely, watching him go as if the whole night was nothing for Kaname but a simple game.

 _That despicable bastard did everything knowingly again?_  Zero was trembling in rage.  _And I blushed and fidgeted like a damn girl all the while!_ But then, a small smile appeared on Zero's face and he relaxed. At least the brunette hadn't been hitting on him seriously. That was a relief for Zero because he certainly didn't know how he could cope with such a persistent man had he been really interested in him, a male... Even the thought of it made Zero shudder.

He turned back to collect the used crockery and cutlery, eyes drawn to the single rose by his sitting place. Zero took it with an exasperated smile and decided to keep it with the card without putting too much thinking in it. But there was something he knew for sure.

"You lost all those points, Kuran, and that bonus is gone, of course." Zero murmured to himself with a sly glint in his eyes.

Outside, Kaname was walking to the garden exit, lost in a silent contemplation, his face a complete mask of apathy. But when his hand raised his collar to his face, he smiled softly, taking in a whiff of the rose's scent, silently wondering how  _his_  Roze would smell...

He didn't even see the long haired, dirty blond server who was watching his every step, her brown eyes full of hatred and jealousy towards a certain silver haired beauty that occupied his thoughts.

_TBC..._

_Leave a review please, they make me happy :)_

 


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